Jan 1, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Daniel Theis (10) and guard Trey Murphy III (25) defend Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) during the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

New Starting Lineup Announced in Pelicans vs Heat

Originally posted on New Orleans Pelicans on SI
By Logan Struck | Last updated Apr 11, 2025 8:21 PM ET

Riding a five-game losing streak, the New Orleans Pelicans are heading into a home matchup against the Miami Heat on Friday night. With just two games left in the regular season, the Pelicans sit in 14th place in the Western Conference with a 21-59 record, mostly just looking forward to getting this disastrous season over with.

The Pelicans have faced more injury concerns than any other team in the NBA, having 11 players sidelined for Friday's game against the Heat, including all five regular starters.

Due to all of their injuries, the Pelicans are forced to switch things up on Friday. The Pelicans have announced a starting lineup of Jose Alvarado, Elfrid Payton, Keion Brooks Jr., Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and Kylor Kelley.

starting five:

Jose Alvarado
Elfrid Payton
Keion Brooks Jr.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
Kylor Kelley#Pelicans | @Kia pic.twitter.com/yiNy5hB1vj
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) April 11, 2025

This is the 46th unique lineup the Pelicans have rolled out this season, as injuries have hit them hard. Rookie center Kylor Kelley is playing in just his second game as a Pelican and making his first start.

Elfrid Payton is starting in his first game since the Pelicans gifted him a standard NBA contract on Friday morning, as the veteran point guard has been great since the Pelicans gave him another chance.

Pelicans sign Elfrid Payton to standard NBA contract https://t.co/RsJylbskyo
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) April 11, 2025

Rookie forward Keion Brooks Jr. is coming off the best game of his career, dropping 20 points and 6 rebounds on 4-8 shooting from beyond the arc, and now earns the fifth start of his career in just his 13th appearance.

Of course, the Pelicans would not mind losing Friday's game to help improve their draft lottery position, while the Heat are still playing for a better play-in tournament position, making this matchup very interesting.

This article first appeared on New Orleans Pelicans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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