Player Grades: New Orleans Pelicans grind out close win over Los Angeles Clippers
After beating the Los Angeles Clippers 102-98, the New Orleans Pelicans sit at 13-21 and four games out of the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
The New Orleans Pelicans used a pivotal fourth quarter performance to defeat the Clippers tonight. Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 20 points and Buddy Hield also scored 17 points.
Davis played center most of the night and made a key play towards the end of the fourth quarter. When DeAndre Jordan was attempting to inbound the ball behind the Pelicans basket, Davis tipped the pass and made a short floater, making the score 101-93 with under 2 minutes remaining. The entire team was in sync tonight and they all were able to pull out a hard fought W against one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
77. 102. 69. Final. 98
Holiday distributed the ball very well tonight, finishing with 9 assists. He scored 11 points as well, but his dribble penetration helped New Orleans a lot on the offensive end. Holiday also turned the ball over only twice tonight and his efficient play was a key factor in tonight’s victory.. PG. New Orleans Pelicans. JRUE HOLIDAY. A-
A-. Buddy Hield finished the night off with 17 points and 6 rebounds, easily one of his best games in his rookie season. His shot was falling tonight and he was very efficient from the field. He was also able to add 2 steals to his stat line.. SG. New Orleans Pelicans. BUDDY HIELD
New Orleans Pelicans. SOLOMON HILL. A-. In 24 minutes of action, Hill did not do much on the stat sheet but he was able to be a key factor in the off night of Jamal Crawford. Hill finished the night with 5 points and 4 rebounds but he made a bigger impact outside of the stat sheet.. F
Cunningham started at power forward tonight and finished with 6 points and 9 rebounds. He also contributed 3 assists and connected on 2 of his 5 attempts from behind the arc. His work on the boards allowed him to be the Pelicans leading rebounder and his versatility gave the Pelicans more lineup options to choose from.. F. New Orleans Pelicans. DANTE CUNNINGHAM. A-
ANTHONY DAVIS. A-. Davis slid over to the center position tonight and played a great game. He did not reach double digits in the rebounding area, but him playing center allowed the Pelicans to space the floor out more effectively. His defensive stats were great as well, finishing the night with 3 steals and 2 blocks.. PF/C. New Orleans Pelicans
A-. Moore had a productive night on the offensive end and gave the Pelicans great energy on the defensive end as well. He finished the night off with 9 points and 3 rebounds in 20 minutes of action. He also added 2 blocks to his stat line. His minutes off the bench should stay consistent as he has been a steady performer for the squad.. SG. New Orleans Pelicans. E’TWAUN MOORE
A-. With Davis playing center for the majority of the night, Jones was forced to sub in as a backup center and also play some at the power forward position. He finished the night with 12 points and 5 rebounds on 4-12 shooting. It may have not been the most efficient night offensively, but Jones will have better nights on the floor.. PF/C. New Orleans Pelicans. TERRENCE JONES
G. New Orleans Pelicans. LANGSTON GALLOWAY. A-. Galloway led all bench players with 31 minutes of action on the floor and he was able to make a positive impact while playing. He made key plays on defense and also hit a big shot from behind the arc in the fourth quarter of the game. Galloway finished the night with 12 points and it would not be surprising to see him lead the bench in minutes on more nights than not.