Turnovers and a lack of attention to detail ultimately doomed the New Orleans Pelicans Sunday night in their 125-106 loss to the Miami Heat. This loss moves the Pelicans' losing streak to seven straight games and is the team's third consecutive loss by 13 points or more.
This game started as a shootout with the Heat leading 43-39 after one quarter, as the Pelicans just didn't have an answer for Norman Powell to open this game. The 2019 NBA champion had 15 points on 4/4 shooting from beyond the arc in the first quarter. This was a trend that continued all night, as Powell ultimately finished with 34 points, knocking down nine threes in the game.
Speaking of trends, the Pelicans broke one of their bad trends tonight, shooting the three-ball extremely well and, for the most part, keeping up with their opponent from beyond the arc. New Orleans finished the game shooting 16/40 from three (40 percent) and only attempted four fewer threes than Miami. All season long, it's been the Pelicans' inability to keep up with teams from distance that has taken them out of games, but tonight, it was the turnovers.
The entire game, the Pelicans were unable to value their possessions, turning the ball over a season-high 25 times, leading to 31 points off turnovers for the Heat. The other crushing part: six of the 25 TOs were unforced.
The biggest positive from this loss was Trey Murphy III, as he is now the Pelicans' franchise leader in three-pointers made.
The case for TM III staying put at the trade deadline
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[Aside from Jeremiah Fears](https://x.com/PelsFilmRoom/status/2007954675551670635?s=20), who finished with 21 points on the night, Trey Murphy III was the only Pelican who was a consistent option offensively. Murphy III scored 27 points, knocking seven threes, which helped him pass CJ McCollum for most three-pointers made in [franchise history with 696](https://x.com/PelsFilmRoom/status/2007965324046725156?s=20). He also played nearly 40 minutes, logging 38 in the contest, and brought in eight rebounds to go with five assists as well.
It’s hard not to be impressed with Murphy III as he continues to prove that he is less of a catch-and-shoot off-ball scorer—and way more of a bona fide bucket getter.
Performances like tonight are why certain people, myself included, feel like the Pelicans need to remain extremely hesitant to trade Murphy III at this year's deadline. New Orleans already is lacking floor spacing, and we saw once again tonight that when Murphy III is in the lineup, their attempts from outside only skyrocket.
With the deadline approaching, performances like Sunday evening strengthen the case for keeping Murphy III long-term as he continues to prove he can be a legit building block for this team.