New Orleans Pelicans Awards: Pelicans strong shooting night, flawless late game defense salvages a huge win versus Houston Rockets

The New Orleans Pelicans struggled to get defensive stops all game against the Houston Rockets, however their defense in the fourth quarter only gave up 17 points as they secured a comeback victory 110-108. Anthony Davis continues to shine of late with 24 points and 13 rebounds in a massive victory against a division rival. Eric Gordon led the team scoring with 26 points.

The New Orleans Pelicans responded after their heartbreaking loss last night to the Miami Heat, storming back to beat the Houston Rockets at home. The Pelicans trailed in a game of runs between both teams for a majority of the way, including as many as nine in the fourth quarter. However, the Pelicans gave up just 17 points in the fourth quarter and locked down on the defensive end. Their aggression to get to the foul line was highlighted in the final frame, scoring 11 free-throws in the fourth quarter to help get back into the game. Anthony Davis’ alley-oop make with just over two minutes to go ended up being the deciding bucket, as no baskets were scored in the final two minutes of the game. New Orleans’ shooting kept them into the game throughout, as the team finished the game shooting 50.7% from the field on the night, including 13-24 from behind the three-point line.

MVP: Anthony Davis

It was yet another game dominated by Anthony Davis. He was all over the floor. 24 points on 8-16 shooting, 13 rebounds including two offensive rebounds and three blocks in the game. He even made a three-pointer for the fun of it. He’s been the player that’s met the ridiculous expectations the fan base has set for him. It’s amazing. In a game where it seemed the Pelicans chances of winning had diminished to zero, Davis fought even harder and kept the team in the contest until a hot shooting run and solid defense finally found the entire roster. He helped shut down the bigs of Houston too, where Dwight Howard had foul troubles in the game and failed to make much of an offensive output, even when Davis was matched up against him. He even made seven of his eight free-throw attempts, something he has had issues with this year. It was a complete game, which the Pelicans needed every tiny bit of to pull off this massive victory.

LVP: Tyreke Evans

The Tyreke Evans experience at Point Guard has continued to be a mix bag, with tonight being the not-so reassuring side of it. Evans finished the game shooting _-_ from the field for just _ points, along with _ assists and _ turnovers. While the assists number was high, the rest of the stats gave him the LVP in a game most of the team shot very well. As a Point Guard, your job is to get the ball in good positions WITHOUT giving the other team easy steals. He didn’t accomplish the second part, and a lot of his passes forced giveaways on his part or on others given the ball in bad spots or too late in the shot clock when he overdribbled. The defense he helped to contribute to was a huge factor, but his overall game was the worst on the roster for sure. Many boneheaded decisions, highlighted by a turnover on a two-on-one fastbreak with Anthony Davis. His execution on the final offensive play for the Pelicans earns him this spot too, as he overdribbled once against and forced a missed three.

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X-Factor: Jrue Holiday’s defense in the fourth quarter

There is not enough that can be said about how good Jrue Holiday‘s defense was in the fourth quarter against James Harden in the fourth quarter. While it shows James Harden shot 2-5 from the field in the fourth quarter and made four free-throws, it was so much more the chaos Holiday caused late in the shot clock. On more than two occasions, Harden had planned to shoot it late in the shot clock, yet was forced to give the ball up to another player who had to force up a difficult shot due to Holiday denying Harden the chance to even get a shot up. Jrue made life extremely difficult on Harden, who took only two shots in the final two minutes of play, missing both long range attempts. That completely changed the complexion of the game, and was a huge factor in the comeback victory for New Orleans.

Turning Point: Norris Cole’s three-pointer and Anthony Davis’ defense

It was not a fantastic game from Norris Cole, however he was the beginning of the turning point in this game. With the Pelicans down seven with just six minutes to go, Jrue Holiday found Cole in the corner wide open for a three-pointer. After that, Anthony Davis blocked a layup and started a fast-break that led to a foul on Tyreke Evans driving for two free-throws and an official timeout being called. In a game that was not decided until the final play, the moment this went from “The Pelicans are fighting…” to “They really can win this” was the big seven-point swing started by Cole’s three-pointer and capitalized by Anthony Davis’ defense.

Defining Moment: The Final Defensive Stop

The Pelicans were up two with 1.7 seconds left on the clock. The Houston Rockets had brought out their “shooting unit” with long range shooters at every position on the floor. It was a tall task for New Orleans, however every player on the floor made it near impossible for the Rockets to get the ball in. The inbounder, Trevor Ariza, ended up trying to force a pass, which was picked off by Tyreke Evans and secured a victory for the Pelicans. Jrue made it impossible for Harden to get open, while AD was put on the inbounder. Poor Ariza. Can’t imagine trying to have to get a pass to an open player with Anthony Davis just a foot away from you. Seems impossible.

Next: Christmas Gifts for various Pelicans

That was……..rejuvenating.

After the loss to the Heat on Christmas , a lot of the air in the sails of New Orleans’ basketball fans had been taken out. However, this win might bring the positive vibes back. The Pelicans are still in the range of the eighth seed in the Western Conference, and not even to the halfway point of the season, there’s still time for a miracle run. Every. Single. Win. Counts. To be able to beat a team ahead of them, not to mention the fact it’s a division rival who in trying to bring a spark to their own season, makes it even that much more important.