The Miami Heat returned from the All-Star break to take on the New Orleans Pelicans tonight. With both teams fully rested, they are each trying to fortify their playoff standings. The competitiveness of the two teams was apparent when a brawl erupted early in the fourth quarter.
The Pelicans’ Naji Marshall choked Jimmy Butler in between the brawl. The Heat and Pelicans players brawled, culminating in ejections for four players along with a couple of fans.
With just 30 seconds into the fourth quarter, Jimmy Butler grabbed a rebound and was starting his dribble up the floor. Zion Williamson was waiting near the basket, stole the ball from Butler, and attempted a layup. Kevin Love grabbed Williamson, causing the Pelicans superstar to fall to the floor. Naji Marshall came to support his fallen teammate and pushed Love.
Butler, seeing this, pushed Marshall aside, and they ensued into a shoving match. Marshall then choked Butler with his right hand, which led to a brawl between both sides.
Video footage of the brawl showed that Jimmy Butler may have lured Marshall into choking him by placing his hand on Marshall’s neck area. The two had to be separated by teammates and staff. However, Marshall’s choking was evident to the referees. Both Marshall and Butler were ejected.
As the brawl continued, Thomas Bryant and Jose Alvarado were caught throwing punches at each other. A couple of fans were caught throwing items at those players. This resulted in ejections for all of them. The NBA might look into the matter seriously and serious reprimands could be coming.
Heat-Pelicans brawl and a close game for playoff contenders
Both the New Orleans Pelicans and the Miami Heat need to win enough games to solidify their chances in the playoff race. Both teams have to win games against playoff teams with their strongest lineups so that they can ease off against others. That is why the first two quarters went to either team, resulting in a tie at halftime.
Jimmy Butler, Naji Marshall, and two others were ejected in the ensuing brawl after the choking incident (image via Open Source/X)Then on, the Heat started to build a slight advantage, heading into the fourth quarter. Williamson knew he needed to score on that steal, and Heat players Love and Butler had to stop him. The intention to instill fear into the opposition worked perfectly for the Heat in that play. Despite Butler out with an ejection, the Heat ran out winners with a 106-95 score.
The Naji Marshall choke on Jimmy Butler was the high point of the Heat-Pelicans brawl. But the tensions between the two teams were building from the first whistle. The Pelicans will travel to Miami on March 22.
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