New Orleans Pelicans Win Tough Game Against San Antonio Spurs 97-90
Tell me that there is something Anthony Davis can’t do, and I’ll tell you that you are a liar. The New Orleans Pelicans won 97-90 in a tough game against the San Antonio Spurs. In a third quarter stint which lasted over 3 possessions, Davis came away with three blocks, all emphatic, and energizing to the arena, and the team. The Pelicans never let the lead go the rest of the way.
29. 97. 69. Final. 90
A-. Solid stat line from <strong><a href=. PG. New Orleans Pelicans. JRUE HOLIDAY
C+. Pretty unspectacular performance from <strong><a href=. SF/PG/SG. New Orleans Pelicans. TYREKE EVANS
A+. There was a sequence where Anthony Davis played defense on three possessions in a row, and came away with three blocks in a row. After the third, Pop called a timeout, and AD let out a ferocious roar. I whimpered in fear from Omaha, Nebraska. Think about that. . PF/C. New Orleans Pelicans. ANTHONY DAVIS
C. New Orleans Pelicans. OMER ASIK. C. <strong><a href=
Floor spacing. Two words that help this offense so much, and even better, those two words help out Destroyer of Worlds, Anthony Davis. To go along with his best asset by far for this team, he played tremendous defense tonight.. PF/SF. New Orleans Pelicans. RYAN ANDERSON. A+
B+. NO TURNOVERS FOR AUSTIN RIVERS! It’s amazing the things that can happen on a basketball court the day after Christmas. . PG/SG. New Orleans Pelicans. AUSTIN RIVERS
New Orleans Pelicans. JOHN SALMONS. D. <strong><a href=. SF
LUKE BABBITT. F. One personal foul. Good stat line tonight Luke, you earned that F. . SF. New Orleans Pelicans
ALEXIS AJINCA. D-. I won’t give him an F because he scored points while the second unit was on the floor, but I don’t see how he plays over <strong><a href=. C. New Orleans Pelicans
Other Observations:
- This team plays the best when they are moving the ball, while having players move off the ball as well. We saw the first two minutes of the game feature plenty of isolation ball, something this team struggles with when you account for efficiency. Look to the fourth quarter, and you see what this team can do when they pass, and move off ball.
- When Ryan Anderson plays well, this team is hard to beat. There has been plenty of talk about Jrue Holiday being the X-factor to this team, but even more so is the floor spacing of Anderson. When teams are forced to respect his ability from behind the arch, this team adds dimensions it doesn’t otherwise have.
- Keep an eye on Luke Babbitt‘s play. When Eric Gordon comes back, it is likely that he gets inserted back into the starting lineup if Babbitt isn’t shooting well. If Babbitt can make a few three point shots a night from the starting role, Monty may want to consider bringing EG off the bench as yet another scoring threat to go along with the second team.