With only four games left in the season, the New Orleans Pelicans found themselves tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the eighth seed in the Western Conference. With the Thunder winning at home, the pressure was on the Pelicans to answer back.
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New Orleans responded with a win of their own.
A strong second half push helped the Pelicans defeat the Phoenix Suns, as they hold their spot as the eighth seed in the Western Conference with a 90-75 win. Anthony Davis led the charge for the Pelicans with 19 points and nine rebounds in just 23 minutes of work due to an injury in the second quarter. Five Pelicans total reached double-digit points, including Dante Cunningham and Norris Cole who combined to shoot 11-14 from the field. Eric Bledsoe was the leading scorer for the Suns with 19 points.
Other Observations:
- For how well the Pelicans played tonight, there was a lot of points left on the floor. The Pelicans shot just 44% from the field including a mediocre 5-19 from behind the arc. Combine that with eight missed free-throws, and that’s a lot of points that could have made this game an even bigger win if the Pelicans could have executed. They’ll need to do that in the final three games.
- The Pelicans biggest strength tonight was contesting the Suns shots. Not only did the Pelicans combine for 13 blocks as a team, with eight different players getting at least one block, they forced the Suns to shoot a dreadful 35.3% from the field. Their ability to stay in front of their man and make shots difficult all over the floor made it very difficult for the Suns to get any traction, even with AD’s injury.
- Another big key in this game was ball movement. The Pelicans chalked up 29 assists on the night, 11 more than the Suns in the game. When the Pelicans put up that many assists, they rarely lose the game. It’s amazing how well the ball moves when all the players are in sync and understand where they need to be for the play to work. The offense flowed well tonight, especially late in the game.
- The final three games of the year will see a big challenge for the Pelicans in one big department…that being offensive efficiency of their opponents. Aside from the Timberwolves, the Spurs and Rockets are two of the top ten teams in points per game. Both teams also like to fire it from deep, each averaging over eight made threes per game. The Pelicans will need to prioritize closing out on shooters in both games if they want to come out victorious.
- The Pelicans will need to be ready for a huge game Sunday night in Houston as they play the Rockets. Tip is scheduled for 6:00 PM CST. Oklahoma City will be playing the Indiana Pacers on the same day in Indiana an hour earlier.
Tweet of the Night: