Zion getting those calls is a pretty recent phenomenon. But it's fairly normal in the NBA that the offensive player can initiate contact and get the call even if the defensive player is giving up ground. OTOH, they called one on him for fouling Harden on a 3-point attempt, and that call is so automatic that even the Pels color guy was talking about how obvious the foul was, when the only thing that was obvious on 2 replays was that Zion touched nothing but air. Harden is another ultra-protected superstar. Anyway..... Pels 127, Sixers 116 and the guy we should be talking about is C.J. McCollum. Career-best and franchise record 11 3-pointers on the way to a 42-point night. Absolutely on fire, almost personally out-shot the entire Sixers team from behind the arc. Zion followed up his 43-point game with 36, and Alvarado was vintage, had a GTA, frustrated Harden into an offensive foul 90-feet from the basket on one occasion, got an uncontested defensive board and outran the entire Sixer team to the bucket for a layup on another. Denver won tonight so still a tie atop the West, on to Memphis tomorrow and at Philly Monday. 76ERS at PELICANS | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | December 30, 2022 - YouTube
Grizzlies 116, Pels 101, snapping the 5-game win streak. After last night's offensive explosion, no one had anything tonight, and with Jaren Jackson, Jr healthy, the Griz are a team built to keep Zion out of the paint. Trail Denver by a half game now, starting off the new year Monday in Philly, then home Wednesday vs the Rockets.
Sixers 120, Pels 111. Nuggets lost as well, so still a game back in the West. To make matters worse, Zion pulled up lame with a few seconds left in the 3Q, It was announced as a strained hammy. Optimistically, the look on his face when it happened suggests while he knew he was hurt, he wasn't reacting like he knew he was hurt bad. Wouldn't surprise me if he's out for tomorrow's home game vs Houston. Still no BI or Nance, and I'm really starting to believe that the Pels' toughest opponent this year will be its own health. Through 37 games, the projected starting five of Ingram, Williamson, Valenciunas, Jones and McCollum has started 10 games, and didn't finish all of them together. Plus, key reserves Nance, Murphy and Daniels have all missed multiple games.
Pels 119, Rockets 108. Ran the visitors out of the gym with a 45-point first quarter, 72-point first half, then muddled through a sloppy second half for the win. 28 for CJ, Jonas with 16 points, 17 rebounds. Pels' 17-4 home record is the best through 21 home games in franchise history. Now third in the West, just a half game behind Denver and Memphis, but a very tough weekend coming up. Home Friday vs Brooklyn, then on the plane to Dallas Saturday
Nets 108, Pels 102. Tough loss at home, just not enough firepower to match Durant/Irving down the stretch. Oh, and I knew he was a puss, but I didn't realize how dirty a player He Who Will Not Be Named is. He jacked up Alvarado 3 times with plays that would have drawn 3 personal foul flags in the NFL, and these bastards won't blow the whistle. Now, they can't wait to call a foul on Herb Jones. Anyway, now they go on the annual Mardi Gras road tour, starting tomorrow night in Dallas. Gonna be tough without Zion and BI.
from a William Guillory article in the athletic: NEW ORLEANS — There aren’t many players who carry an offensive presence quite like Zion Williamson. It’s not just the numbers he puts in the box score. It’s the way he bends defenses and forces all eyes to shift his way. Anytime he steps on the floor, it puts everyone on high alert. His dominance in December guided the Pelicans to their most successful stretch of the season, despite the absence of Brandon Ingram. With Williamson’s hamstring injury expected to sideline him for at least three weeks (probably more), it’s impossible to oversell how much this will change what this group looks like on offense — even when Ingram returns. They have to establish somewhat of a new identity on the fly. How can they expect to be the same after removing the NBA’s most dominant paint scorer? “Playing without Z is (tough). He was our entire offense for a little while,” Larry Nance Jr. admitted. “Of course, it’s going to take a little time to adjust.” That doesn’t mean New Orleans won’t remain a dangerous team in the West. Even without Williamson and Ingram, the depth of offensive talent on this roster and their resilient attitude should allow them to remain a dangerous foe for most opponents. We saw this in their last two outings. On Wednesday, they manhandled the Rockets en route to a double-digit victory. On Friday, they barely fell short in a game with serious playoff intensity against the red-hot Brooklyn Nets. We’ve repeatedly seen how competitive this team can be, regardless of who’s suiting up. That doesn’t mean the road forward without Zion will be any easier. Even if Ingram returns relatively soon, there will be some growing pains as the Pelicans relearn how they must play to win. The difficult part of this process is that many of those growing pains they have to endure will come during one of the most grueling road stretches of the season. New Orleans begins a five-game road trip with a game at Dallas on Saturday on the second night of a back-to-back. Seven of the team’s next eight games will be on the road, and three of those outings will come against a trio of title contenders in Dallas, Boston and Cleveland.
Mavericks 127, Pels 117. Game can be summed up in one word, "shorthanded." No BI, no Zion, no CJ, no Larry Nance, no contest. Down 19 at the quarter and got boatraced. Terrible shooting from behind the arc (5 of 29) and from the line (22 of 35). What may be most frustrating to me about the performance is, with all that offense missing, Trey Murphy still does not look for shots. Seven attempts in 24 minutes, 7 points. Jeez, Kyra Lewis scored 12 in 12 minutes! OK, down 2 and a half to the Nuggets, road trip resumes Monday in DC. CJ will be back, maybe Larry? As for BI, I'm starting to think the same quack that misdiagnosed Michael Thomas is taking care of Ingram.
Pelicans 132, Wizard 112. Last time NOLA won in DC (2011) the Pelicans were the Hornets, and Willie Green was in uniform, not coaching sweats. CJ with 34, Jonas with 27 and 12, and as a team, committed just 10 turnovers while scoring 39 off Wizard TOs. Bad news, Herb Jones took a hard spill late in the third and did not return. Remain 2 games behind Memphis and Denver (Grizzlies also won, Denver will beat LAL later tonight). At Boston Wednesday.
