The Miami Heat defeated the New Orleans Pelicans, 106-95, at Smoothie King Center on Friday.

The Heat (31-25) and the Pelicans (34-23) played a tight contest Friday, but in the end, the Heat came through and secured the victory despite playing on the road. Miami enjoyed a strong start and raced to a 31-24 lead in the first quarter, but the Pelicans didn’t step back at any point and responded with a 34-27 score. The game was tied at halftime, but the Heat took control of the game in the third quarter and never looked back. A 26-22 score in the first 12 minutes of the second half allowed Miami to grab the lead again, and they pulled away for good in the fourth after a 22-15 score. Arguably the biggest story of the game was the ejections in the second half following a foul on Zion Williamson. Jimmy Butler, Jose Alvarado, Naji Marshall and Thomas Bryant were all ejected, and the league could hand them suspensions in the coming days as well.

Bam Adebayo led the way for the Heat with 24 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Jimmy Butler recorded 23 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three steals before being ejected. Tyler Herro posted 15 points, six rebounds and three assists. Duncan Robinson was the only other starter who posted double-digit points for Miami, as he had 17 points while shooting 5-for-11 from three-point range. Miami shot 46.3 percent from the field and 44.8 percent from three-point range.

Zion Williamson led the way for the Pelicans with 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, though it’s worth noting New Orleans was shorthanded without CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram. Herbert Jones had 19 points and five rebounds, while Jonas Valanciunas posted a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double. Jordan Hawkins finished with 14 points, three rebounds and two assists off the bench. New Orleans shot 37.5 percent from the field and 21.9 percent from three.