The New Orleans Pelicans caused a major upset in Florida by defeating the Miami Heat 111-88. After the conclusion of the game, the hosts’ talisman, Jimmy Butler candidly expressed his regret over losing to the visitors. He admitted to ‘talking up a storm’ following their scuffle from weeks past while sharing his thoughts on the outcome.
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The clash captured the on-court dominance of the Pelicans as they scored 65 points in the second half while limiting the Heat to just 46 points. Hence, Butler’s display of 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists in 36 minutes of action as per StatMuse failed to come in aid. However, in the post-game interview, he refused to back down from the recently fueled rivalry, stating, “We are still the better team”.
His words acted as an extension of his month-old comments following a controversial game between the franchises. During that clash, a brawl broke out as the Pelicans’ Naji Marshall attempted to choke Butler. It led to an on-court scuffle as the players from each roster soon got involved. This resulted in four ejections and five suspensions with the instigators being penalized on both occasions.
Amidst the altercations, the Heat came away victorious with a 106-95 scoreline as Butler made a bold claim in the post-game interview. “We’ll beat them the next time too. We’re just the better team…When we get them on our home court, it’s gonna be a different game. I hope they’re healthy and it’s gonna be the same outcome,” he declared, as seen in the X post by Will Guillory.
His prediction has undoubtedly backfired as the Heat succumbed in the latest game in front of the home crowd. Interstingly, the Pelicans have utilized this instance as a part of their revenge plan as Marshall expressed his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter). As visible from the NBA Retweet’s post, the Pelicans star shed light on the month-old declaration of Butler. “My volume doesn’t work. What he say?” he wrote to openly mock the 34-year-old.
The franchise’s official social media account joined in soon after. While uploading the scoreline of the latest game, they wrote, “We’re just a better team”.
These actions backed by the words display the seriousness of the ongoing rivalry between the franchises. In this instance, the Pelicans had the last laugh while the Heat remained on the lookout for their share of revenge. This marked the extension of a modern-day rivalry that fans can’t help but tune into.
