New Orleans Pelicans Player Grades: Pelicans barely lose to Oklahoma City Thunder
By Rick Stone
The New Orleans Pelicans had a tall task enough trying to stop the Oklahoma City Thunder in Oklahoma City. Without Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, Norris Cole, Omer Asik or Quincy Pondexter, it proved to be too tall a task.
While the Pelicans stayed within striking distance for most of the game, the Thunder ran away with the game late to hold off the Pelicans 110-103. This is the 11th loss of the year for New Orleans, who are continuing to struggle with the mass of injuries plaguing the team over the beginning of the season. Russell Westbrook was a nightmare for the Pelicans all night, scoring 43 points while dishing nine assists and grabbing eight rebounds. Enes Kanter also had a huge game for OKC, with 24 points and 14 rebounds.
It was a strong game for Ryan Anderson, who put up 30 points and seven rebounds. Ish Smith, Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon and Alexis Ajinca all had double-digit scoring nights as well, along with double digit rebounds for Ajinca. For a team ravaged by injuries, the Pelicans played pretty darn well. Still, it’s very tough to beat a team with the talent Oklahoma City without so many weapons.
103. 69. Final. 110. 149
ISH SMITH. A-. <strong><a href=. PG. New Orleans Pelicans
B. <strong><a href=. SG. New Orleans Pelicans. ERIC GORDON
B-. <strong><a href=. SF. New Orleans Pelicans. LUKE BABBITT
A-. <strong><a href=. PF/SF. New Orleans Pelicans. RYAN ANDERSON
<strong><a href=. SF. New Orleans Pelicans. DANTE CUNNINGHAM. C
B. <strong><a href=. C. New Orleans Pelicans. ALEXIS AJINCA
C. <strong><a href=. SF. New Orleans Pelicans. ALONZO GEE
New Orleans Pelicans. TONEY DOUGLAS. C+. <strong><a href=. PG
D. It was bad. Really, really, really, really, really bad. There’s nothing else to be said. . PG. New Orleans Pelicans. JIMMER FREDETTE
Other Observations:
- The free-throw differential tonight was….massive. The Pelicans only attempted nine free-throws in the game compared to forty for the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC attacked the basket aggressively all night while the Pelicans shot the ball outside to stay in this game.
- This shouldn’t come as a surprise with who was asked to be the big men in the Pelicans rotation, but the Thunder had 16 offensive rebounds in this game. That’s not great. What may come as surprising is the Pelicans had nine of their own. That’s a lot for an undermanned team, a lot of those coming on long misses.
- For a team short on important players, ball movement was a huge plus in this game. The Pelicans had more assists than the Thunder with 21 and less turnovers than the Thunder with just 11. Playing against a team with superior players in the game, you need the little things to stay competitive.
- Let’s be honest. The Pelicans played REALLY hard in this game. The blame can go around like crazy, but they fought extremely hard to try and win this game. They gave it their all. The Thunder just have a full rotation of NBA caliber players. The Pelicans are not. A+ for the fight of this team.
Next: New Orleans Pelicans Awards for loss to Thunder
The New Orleans Pelicans will look once again for their second win of the season Friday as they will play the San Antonio Spurs. Tip is scheduled for 7:00 PM CST.