Pelica Debrief
Fansided

New Orleans Pelicans Grades: Pelicans collapse in Washington

By Nathan Heck

Feb 23, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) dribbles as New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) looks on during the second half at Verizon Center. The Washington Wizards won 109 - 89. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 23, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) dribbles as New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) looks on during the second half at Verizon Center. The Washington Wizards won 109 - 89. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New Orleans Pelicans could not extend their winning streak to three in a row as John Wall led the Washington Wizards to a dominant win over the floundering Pelicans.

The New Orleans Pelicans and Anthony Davis thoroughly disappointed in Washington by falling to the Wizards 109-89. Following his truly dominant performance on Sunday in Detroit, Anthony Davis managed to score just nine points against the Wizards as Washington focused all of their efforts on limiting the talented power forward. The rest of the roster was not able to pick up the slack, and the Wizards pulled away in the second half.

The Pelicans don’t have much to look forward to after this collapse, either. Hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night, the Pelicans will face an even tougher task. With the injuries continuing to mount and the hole getting deeper and deeper, all hope for the playoffs has been extinguished at this point.

109. 142. 89. 69. Final

F. <a href=. PG. New Orleans Pelicans. NORRIS COLE

F. Despite playing over 20 minutes, <a href=. SG. New Orleans Pelicans. BRYCE DEJEAN-JONES

D. <a href=. SF/PF. New Orleans Pelicans. DANTE CUNNINGHAM

B-. Anthony Davis only scored nine points, but that was largely a result of the Wizards having at least two defenders on him at nearly all times. Sharing the court with multiple players that provide absolutely nothing on the offensive end, the Wizards keyed in on Davis all night and made his life difficult. David did pull in 20 rebounds, though, and he likely could have scored more if he was ever given the chance.. PF/C. New Orleans Pelicans. ANTHONY DAVIS

D. <a href=. C. New Orleans Pelicans. ALEXIS AJINCA

B. <a href=. PF. New Orleans Pelicans. RYAN ANDERSON

New Orleans Pelicans. JRUE HOLIDAY. B+. <a href=. PG

SF. New Orleans Pelicans. ALONZO GEE. D. <a href=

D+. <a href=. PG. New Orleans Pelicans. TONEY DOUGLAS

F. <a href=. C. New Orleans Pelicans. KENDRICK PERKINS

SF. New Orleans Pelicans. LUKE BABBITT. A. Babbitt played three minutes and scored three points. One point a minute seems like a pretty good rate, so he gets an A.

Next: Awards

Other observations:

  • The Pelicans are done, at this point. There should no longer be any dreams of making a run at the eighth seed.
  • Playing three on five offense has been a thorn in the Pelicans’ side all season, and this game typified the situation. Anthony Davis had three defenders on him on multiple occasions, and the Pelicans were not able to make the Wizards pay for bringing that much pressure on Davis.
  • The Omer Asik injury hurts more than many fans realize. As much as Asik has struggled this season, he is light years ahead of Kendrick Perkins, who seems to be absorbing most of his minutes.
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