Pelicans’ coming out party spoiled by DeMarcus Cousins’ injury

The New Orleans Pelicans pulled out another close/wild win Friday against the Houston Rockets. The loss was the first Chris Paul and James Harden has received as a tandem. From Darius Miller to DeAndre Liggins, Friday was full of surprises as NOLA recorded their biggest win of the season. Unfortunately, they may be awaiting their biggest loss as star DeMarcus Cousins went down with a scary injury.

What we liked: Patient Boogie

Something has gotten into Boogie. And whatever it is we should all be thankful for it. Teams have challenged his playmaking ability as the season has progressed. The hope is that for as many brilliant plays he’ll make, a turnover will follow. Instead of showing more of an expected stubborn response, Cousins has done the opposite as of late. Friday Cousins recorded his second triple double of the week. But it was completely different from his first as offensively he wasn’t allowed much room to operate. Cousins finished with only 12 shots, but still was able to have a masterful game

What we didn’t like: The game style in crunch time

NOLA got ahead early with penetration, ball movement and points in the paint. They lost it with iso basketball and tough contested shots. As soon as they went back to the post and kick outs they were able to regain positive offensive possessions and, ultimately, win the game.

When it was over: When Jrue Holiday went to the free throw line with less than two seconds left

After a controversial foul, James Harden went to the free throw line shooting two free throws down three, out of timeouts. After a purposely missed free throw the Pelicans secured the rebound and Jrue Holiday was put on the line. Holiday went on to miss both.

Takeaways:

1. DeMarcus Cousins’ injury

Cousins looked to awkwardly land on his leg late in the game. After laying down in pain for minutes Cousins was helped up and needed assistanced to the locker room. In what was a huge win overall, we can only hope the injury to Cousins isn’t serious. The early reports are that Cousins sustained an achilles injury. The Pelicans are playing their best basketball of the season, and a long term injury to Cousins could again lead NOLA down a trail of “what if.”

2. DeAndre Liggins is becoming a player in the rotation.

The Pelicans have struggled mightily with two things this season; communication and focus, mainly on the defensive end. DeAndre Liggins doesn’t, it appears so far. While he’s not perfect, he’s the exact long athletic defensive wing the Pelicans have missed with Solomon Hill out. After surprisingly getting a few minutes Wednesday, Liggins played 18 crucial minutes. He spent his time guarding both James Harden and Chris Paul. He was even able to throw in 8 points of his own. Not bad for a guy many thought was just a roster filler. Time will tell but Liggins getting minutes back to back games may be a sign of the future. Or Alvin Gentry could just be playing with match-ups and our hearts again.

3. The Pels are maturing

The Pelicans are an emotional roster. So while up double digits against the Rockets you would expect some sort of emotion. They didn’t give much, as early as a month ago the Pels may have celebrated every big play. Not this time, as they’ve blown too many leads, and have had fortunes change too often. They knew the Rockets would make a run, and Houston did. But New Orleans didn’t fold and were able to finish late. That’s the sign of a team becoming slightly more mature. Which is huge for Pelican basketball.

Next: New Orleans Pelicans: The DeMarcus Cousins turnover solution

Up Next: Los Angeles Clippers 1/28
Neither the Clippers or the Pelicans possess the same look they did in their first match-up. The Pels will continue to try and separate from the pack as a hot Lou Williams and healthy Blake Griffin come into town.