The New Orleans Pelicans did not show any signs of panic during the quarterfinal game of the NBA midseason tournament that took place on Monday night. The Kings started the game with a 15-point lead.
“We just looked at each other like, ‘We’re straight,'” said Zion Williamson, a forward with the Pelicans.
Considering that Sacramento had previously triumphed over the Kings in New Orleans on two separate occasions during this season, the Pelicans anticipated that they would strike first. CJ McCollum believed that it was critical to steer clear of knockout confrontations.
Willie Green, the coach of the Pelicans, had a straightforward plan for the time being: if the Pelicans were to be able to stop the opposition, score a basket, win the game by a score of 127-117, and repeat the sequence of events a sufficient number of times, they would be able to move to the semifinals on Thursday in Las Vegas.
The game between the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers that took place on Tuesday night will determine who New Orleans will face.
“Trust was the most important thing I saw in that game,” according to Green. “Our guys simply remained united.” During the huddle, they maintained their cohesiveness and made the right play on multiple occasions. If a team has only committed 14 turnovers and 29 assists, then you can continue to have faith in them regardless. On the basis of that, we intend to continue improving.”
On Monday, the Pelicans were playing their healthiest game of the year, with the exception of Larry Nance Jr., who was not participating in the game.
Read More
A member of the Pelicans’ inner circle informed ESPN that the team is finally in a position to establish their identity and make a run now that almost their entire roster is available.
At the end of the game on Monday night, six players from New Orleans scored in the double figures, with Brandon Ingram leading the way with 30 points. Herbert Jones scored twenty-three points, Trey Murphy III scored sixteen points, Jonas Valanciunas scored eighteen points, and McCollum awarded seventeen points.
For the game in which Williamson played at least 25 minutes, he finished with just 10 points, which is the fewest points he has ever had in a game of that length.
“With the shooters we’ve added, it definitely does take pressure off of me,” according to Williamson. Despite the fact that I had a poor performance, we were in the lead by a score of 13–18 at the end of the game. Simply put, this demonstrates how isolated each and every person is. The coach places a significant amount of importance on preparedness at all times. Nothing ever stopped our soldiers from being prepared.
In addition, four players for the Pelicans tied a franchise record by scoring a game-high 10 points and dishing out five assists.
McCullom responded to a question on whether or not it is necessary to have numerous players in order to dominate a game by saying, “It’s very important.” “That’s how you compete for championships; that’s how you win playoff games; and that’s how you win in the half court—having multiple guys.”
Read More
Prior to the game, Sacramento had the intention of pairing Williamson with two different teams. This was in addition to ‘throwing the kitchen sink at him’, as head coach Mike Brown characterised it. The fact that Williamson only scored two points in the first half demonstrated how the Kings were able to keep him under control.
Despite this, the Pelicans were able to gather momentum after surviving the Kings’ opening run. The numerous additional threats that their opponents were facing made this possible. Even though they were losing by 15 points at the beginning of the first quarter, New Orleans managed to pull off an 18-4 comeback. At one point in the middle of the second quarter, the Pels had a lead of as many as thirteen points.
Domantas Sabonis, who scored 26 points, and De’Aaron Fox, who scored 30 points and was named the Western Conference Player of the Week, led Sacramento in their charge to gain ground as well.
In contrast, the Pelicans were successful in resolving every problem that arose.
The field goal percentage that New Orleans achieved in a game this year was 54%, which was the second-best percentage in the league. On November 20, the Pelicans only had one previous shooting performance against the same Kings team, and it was a 54.3% shooting performance.
Read More
“This game at home with a chance for us to get some revenge on a team that beat us pretty well at their place and an opportunity to go to Vegas is terrible, definitely disappointing,” Kevin Huerter, the Kings point guard, commented.
Tonight, a number of the males that were at their residence turned out to be helpful in solving their problems. Despite the fact that we performed a fair job on Zion, Ingram had a fantastic game throughout the entire game. Their remarkable bench was a significant contributor to their successful comeback.
According to Huerter, the Pelicans are a one-of-a-kind and challenging adversary, particularly when they are healthy, since their team blends size up top with shooting depth, paint-scoring skill, and defensive grit.
In addition to his assessment, there are others.
“They are the team that I could see challenging the Denver Nuggets for the top team in the West,” a league source said about the Pels. “They have their entire roster,” the source said.
In spite of the fact that the Pelicans have a long way to go before they can compete with Denver or any other team in the Western Conference for bragging rights, they will have the chance to establish themselves when they take part in the first ever NBA Cup, which will be held in Las Vegas.
In his statement, Williamson stated, “This team has so much potential.” Despite the fact that we have a great deal of potential, we still have a great deal of maturation to complete.
On the whole, however, if everyone stays indoors, we will be able to accomplish something truly remarkable. Together, we have the potential to achieve something truly remarkable.
Share this content:
One Comment