Norman Powell responds to All-Star request after career night against Pelicans

ByNBAUSA


MIAMI – After The Miami Heat lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday nightteam came out in the second game of a back-to-back on Sunday and got the job done against the New Orleans Pelicans, 125-106. U the continued absence of Heat stars like Tyler Herroalthough he was available, and Jaime Jaquez Jr., was Norman Powell who once again led the team, potentially proving he should be an All-Star.

Powell has been open about his goal of being an All-Star in the past, coming close to the Los Angeles Clippers last season but missing out despite being a top-10 Western Conference point guard vote. Now in a starring role in Miami, he has succeeded, he showed in Sunday’s win over New Orleans, scoring 34 points while an eye-opening stat showed he hit a career-high nine 3-pointers.

As the 32-year-old told ClutchPoints “everything was good” on Sunday, they would also ask him if he believed he made a case to be an All-Star this season.

“I think so, I think I definitely made it,” Powell said. “I learned last year not to get caught up in whether I’m going to make it or not. I want to make it, I think I deserve to make it. My peers around the league tell me after games that I’m an All-Star and I should be there.”

“Hopefully that will happen for me this year, but my goal is to go out there and win and show all my hard work and leave it up to the fans, the coaches who make those decisions,” Powell continued. “But I believe I’m an All-Star. That’s how I’ve always seen myself and something I’ve always wanted to work on in my career.”

Warmth Erik Spoelstra about Norman Powell and his explosive game

Miami Heat guard Norman Powell (24) reacts after scoring against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the third quarter at Cassia Center.
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

With Jacques missed the heat on Sunday with a sprained anklethe team was looking for a collective effort to get back on track before embarking on a four-game Midwest road trip. Powell continues to lead Miami in scoring, entered Sunday averaging 24.1 points per game, and was on full display against the Pelicans, hitting nine three-pointers on 12 attempts.

Coach Erik Spoelstra talked about Powell’s layup, saying he should have had 18 attempts instead of 12, and reflecting on the decision not to return him to the game Saturday after he left with a leg injury. On top of that, Spoelstra admitted that there was some thinking on whether Powell will play Sunday, but the veteran has always played through a series of minor injuries.

“Shoot, on a night like this, he should have had 18 shots,” Spoelstra said. “The funny thing about it is … I almost didn’t play him back yesterday, you know, and then I probably wouldn’t have thought about playing him tonight, but he looked me dead in the eye and said, ‘You can trust me.’

“So he’s earning some confidence there because he knows his body better than anybody, but I thought his activity level was really good tonight,” Spoelstra continued. “I don’t know how many turnovers he had, but when it ever looked like they were ahead or something, he would drop the ball, and he had a great knack for that tonight, where we need that from everybody.”

The Heat’s Norman Powell on building trust with health staff

As Powell has said in the past that he plays his cleanest basketball with the Heat, with a week that is a microcosm of that ability, showing just how great the offseason trade was, possibly leading to an All-Star season. Looking at the early first return of fans to the All-Star Game, announced last Monday, Powell he was 18th among all players in the Eastern Conference and the eighth among his guards.

In addition to his play on the court, he’s been building a rapport with Miami’s coaching staff regarding his health, saying he’ll get through “all the bumps, bruises and pains.”

“It’s my first time here in the season, so there’s still a learning process,” Powell said. “Like what I’m able to do, what I do, what I bring, my mentality and my approach. So just tell them after the game today, like, I’m always going to try to go.”

“Like, if it’s something that’s going to stop me from being able to go out and play the way I want to play and help the team win, then I listen to my body and get the time it needs to rest,” Powell continued. “But if not, I’m going to play through all the bumps and bruises and pain because, like, I said, like, I don’t want to take this game for granted. I’m going to put so much into it that I want to go out there and show all my hard work and help the teams win.”

Either way, the Heat are now 20-16, looking to do some damage on an upcoming four-game road trip that begins Tuesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.





2026-01-05 03:39:00

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