Four Pelicans are doubtful to play in Miami on Wednesday.
Four prominent New Orleans players, including two reserves who left Sunday’s victory with injuries, are in doubt for Wednesday’s preseason game against Miami (6:30 p.m., Pelicans.com streaming, WRNO 99.5 FM). Following their injuries two nights ago in San Antonio, Dyson Daniels (right ankle sprain) and Larry Nance Jr. (right foot pain) are uncertain to play. After missing the previous three and two preseason games, Brandon Ingram (left fifth toe pain) and CJ McCollum (right ankle soreness) are now listed as doubtful. Jaxson Hayes (left elbow UCL tear) and Kira Lewis Jr. are both listed as unavailable for New Orleans (proper knee ACL recovery)
Previous Game Starters
NEW ORLEANS (AP) (3-0 in preseason)
Sunday’s win in San Antonio
Devonte Graham, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy, Zion Williamson, and Jonas Valanciunas are all starters.
MIAMI (3-1 in preseason)
Houston vs. Monday win
Victor Oladipo, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Haywood Highsmith, and Dewayne Dedmon
MIAMI vs. NEW ORLEANS (3-0 in preseason) (3-1 in preseason)
6:30 p.m. WRNO 99.5 FM, Central, Pelicans.com streaming
Overview
Although Brandon Ingram (toe) and CJ McCollum (ankle) are classified as doubtful against Miami, New Orleans enters Wednesday’s game hoping to have its entire starting lineup intact either tonight against Atlanta or Friday against Atlanta. All three games have included the starting big men Zion Williamson and Jonas Valanciunas, while Herb Jones, who missed the game against Detroit on Friday, played again on Sunday in San Antonio. The Pelicans will attempt to be among the six NBA teams still unbeaten in the preseason, regardless of who plays for the visitors on the court. Miami has utilized its star players sparingly in the preseason despite making it to the Eastern Conference finals this spring thanks to a solid postseason performance. The Heat have been giving a variety of young players opportunities to contribute.
Players to Watch
PELICANS
Trey Murphy
The second-year forward, who scored 27 points against the Spurs on Sunday, is 9/14 (64 %) from beyond the arc in preseason play. In 26.0 minutes, he also provides 3.0 assists on average.
Willy Hernangomez
The EuroBasket MVP is known for producing a lot of points (36) and rebounds (24) in a short amount of time (48 minutes). With Jaxson Hayes (elbow) expected to miss two to four weeks of action, Hernangomez’s position as a reserve is expected to grow.
Dereon Seabron
The North Carolina rookie, A spark for the fourth quarter, has been State on a two-way deal. Seabron, who can go downhill and is a good driver, has 18 points in 19 minutes. He is 6 of 9 from the field and 6 of 7 from the line.
HEAT
Duncan Robinson
The spot-up shooter, one of the few Miami veterans who has played frequently in the preseason, is averaging 15.0 points across four outings and making 38% of his three-point tries.
Nikola Jovic
The No. 27 choice from the June draft, who should not be confused with Denver’s two-time MVP, is averaging 10.8 points and 5.8 rebounds through four preseason games.
Starters from previous games
New ORLEANS (3-0 in preseason)
Win on Sunday in San Antonio
Zion Williamson, Jonas Valanciunas, Trey Murphy, Devonte’ Graham, and Herb Jones
Notes: Despite shooting a below-average 34.0 percent from outside the arc, the Pelicans have a perfect record, while their opponents only shoot 28.8 percent. New Orleans will spend Thursday afternoon going to Birmingham after spending the night in South Florida.
MIAMI (3-1 in preseason) (3-1 in preseason)
Houston vs. win on Monday
Victor Oladipo, Max Strus, Haywood Highsmith, Dewayne Dedmon, Gabe Vincent,
Though just three of the nine Heat players averaging double-digit scoring in the preseason have played more than one game (Tyler Herro, Caleb Martin, Omer Yurtseven), Wednesday’s game is Miami’s preseason finale. The Heat play Chicago on October 19 to start the regular season.