Pelicans 142, Wizards 122 Pels shake off another slow start on the road and become the first team in the Association this year to win by 20 or more after trailing by 15 or more. Without Zion (slight ankle sprain Monday night, but we'll see how slight), Ingram went off for a season-high 40 points, McCollum hit 22, and Trey Murphy came off the bench and rained fire, 27 points on 5 of 6 shooting behind the arc, at least 3 of which were beyond 25 feet. Pels missed their first 6 3's and then hit 16 of 28 for the rest of the game. Valanciunas and Marshall put up 16 each. At Charlotte Friday.
On a road trip where they should have gone 3-0, the Pels go....3-0! Pelicans 112, Hornets 107 A very sluggish offensive game, with the exception of Jonas Valancuinas, who went for 29 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists. Rest of the team was pretty sloppy. Zion returned after missing just one game with a sprained ankle and looked good, but his shots just weren't falling. He still managed a double-double, 21 and 10. CJ managed 19 but didn't shoot well, and Ingram was ice cold, but... Pelicans 146, Spurs 110 Both were on fire Sunday in San Antonio, hitting 5 and 6 3's respectively. The team set a franchise record with 22 made 3-pointers in posting their highest scoring total of the year. CJ-29 points, BI-26, Alvarado-16, Jonas, 15 and 15, Zion, 15 and 8, Naji Marshall, 14 and 7 assists. First time facing Victor Wembanyama, who had 17 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks. Other than hitting 2 3's, didn't see much of the ball handling skill he's noted for, most of his damage came from using his height (Herb Jones took him one-on-one much of the game, might have had something to do with it). A 5-game home stand starts tomorrow night against Memphis on TNT. Ja Marant is expected to make his season debut.
Grizzlies 115, Pelicans 113 For the sixth time this year, the Pels blow a double-digit 4th quarter lead, this time losing on a buzzer beater in the lane by Thuglife Morant. Led by as many as 24 in the second quarter on the strength of a 28-2 run with Zion on the bench (bullshit foul trouble). Morant returned from suspension and immediately resumed his superstar status (i.e., if he shoots, its a made basket or he got fouled). But the big reason we lost was giving up too many offensive rebounds leading to 2nd chance points. And don't see how C.J. McCollum, after hitting 6 consecutive 3's from the 2nd to 4th quarters, could air ball 2 consecutive attempts in the last 90 seconds with the game on the line. Ingram had 34, Valanciunas 22 and 14 (8 double doubles in 9 games this month), CJ 18 and Zion 13 (foul trouble and flu symptoms). Hosting Cleveland Thursday.
Pelicans 123, Cavaliers 104 Thought this was a home game, but it was on the road, making it a better win. Even better, they won while fighting through a flu bug. Zion sat last night after playing through it Tuesday, Herb and Jonas played through it last night. Stepping up was Trey Murphy III with 28 points (Willie Green said afterward he could have had 40) on 6 of 10 shooting behind the arc. CJ had 18, BI 17 and Naji Marshall 16. Larry Nance about ready to come back; he's been out with a broken rib. Hosting Houston Saturday night.
Rockets 106, Pelicans 104 Pels are 0-4 in games decided by 3 points or less, 1-7 when they make 8 or fewer 3’s. The first stat is the scary one, with the game on the line, they committed 3 straight turnovers. Looked like everyone on the floor panicked. Looking more and more like there’s no one on the roster with that killer instinct to even want the ball at the end, much less take and make a big shot.
Grizzlies 116, Pelicans 115 (OT) Atrocious loss; this time the lead was 13 at the start of the 4th quarter, and for the last 12 minutes, plus 5 minutes of overtime, the Pelicans took at most 2 uncontested shots. Memphis just made them look absolutely clueless on the offensive end of the court for 17 minutes. But none of it would have mattered if they'd made their free throws; Pels made 21 of 33 for the night. That's inexcusable, its been a problem too many times this season.
Pelicans 112, Utah 105 Pels finally find a way to win a close one, hitting their last 5 shots over the last 4 minutes, including a couple of 3's in the last 90 seconds by Trey Murphy, who was 0-6 on the night prior to those shots. Really nice game out of the big 3, Zion with a near triple double at 21-10-8, BI with 26 and 5 assists, CJ with 22 and 8 assists. But the game wouldn't have been won without Larry Nance Jr. In his first game in 31 days (broken rib and sore ankle), he had 9 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals in 25 minutes. He also likely caused several more turnovers just by deflecting passes. He's a valuable if underrated defender, not a rim protector, but a great feel for where the ball is going and getting himself into position to disrupt the offensive flow. Jordan Hawkins was reassigned to Birmingham yesterday. Twittrverse had a coronary, but I think it was a good move. As everyone has gotten healthy, his minutes have dwindled and his shooting touch crumbled. This way he can play and get himself ready for when the call inevitably comes. LeBron, day-to-Davis and the Lakers in the SKC on New Year's Eve.
Pelicans 129, Lakers 109 Vengeance served for the Vegas debacle. Pels (without Trey Murphy - sore knee) shoot 50% behind the arc (17 of 34) and never trailed after midway through the 1st quarter. CJ McCollum hit 5 three's in the first quarter and finished with 22 points. Ingram and Zion had 26 each. Double-double off the bench for Larry Nance, but the spark plug was Jose Alvarado, 9 points, 4 steals and 2 blocks. He picked Lebron's pocket 3 times - not jumping into passing lanes, but stealing the ball from him off the dribble. Amazing performance. Hosting Brooklyn Tuesday.
Pelicans 112, Nets 85 In the first game of a big back-to-back, the Pels got off to a fast start and boat-raced the outclassed Nets. No starter played more than 26 minutes for the Pels, who visit the top team in the West, Minnesota, tonight. Another good shooting night beyond the arc, 16 of 39 (41%) as a team, though the starters (Zion had no attempts) went 9 for 15. McCollum was the leading scorer with 16; 7 players in double figures. Trey Murphy sat again, but hopefully will be there tonight. Hopefully Zion as well, really see no need for him to sit, and will need all hands on deck to face the rested T-Wolves. A win tonight could put the Pels in a tie for 4th in the West.
Pelicans 117, Timberwolves 106 Best win of the year! Pels travel and beat a well-rested upper echelon team in the second half of a back-to-back, and it wasn't nearly as close as the score indicated. T-Wolves' last lead of the game was 8-7, last tie of the game was 32-32 midway through the second quarter. Pels dominated this one, shooting 56% against one of the Association's better defenses while holding them several points below their average. Zion with 27 and 6 assists, 24 for McCollum and shout out to Herb Jones, who scored 16 and has simply played awesome on both sides of the ball for several games. Home vs the Clippers Friday and then a brutal 5-game road trip follows.
