New Orleans Pelicans get needed win thanks to total team effort

The New Orleans Pelicans came into Saturday in a tough spot. They were on the second day of a back-to-back and had to square-off with the Golden State Warriors. With major playoff implications adding pressure, the entire team stepped up to pick up the win.

The Western Conference playoff race is simply put, ridiculous. If someone were to make a basketball movie circling around a team in the middle of a postseason run, they couldn’t even copy this real-life scenario. People would probably say it’s too fantastical and would never happen in the NBA.

The New Orleans Pelicans entered Saturday one game back from the Utah Jazz for fourth place in the West. Meanwhile, they sat just one game ahead of the Denver Nuggets who were all the way down in ninth place. For those doing the math, that means the fourth place Jazz could miss out on the playoffs despite having just three games left on their schedule.

There were plenty of games that could shape the playoff picture in the West on Saturday. The Pelicans should only be worrying about themselves at the moment though, as they control their own destiny.

That’s exactly what the Pelicans did. In a game that saw just eight players find their way on the floor, everyone contributed.

Unsurprisingly, Anthony Davis came up big. The superstar racked up 34 points and 12 rebounds while adding in four blocks and assists. However, the rest of the starters were impressive as well.

Davis’ fellow frontcourt-man Nikola Mirotic added 28 points (6-11 from three) with six rebounds and four assists, as well as three steals on defense.

Meanwhile, E’Twaun Moore refused to miss, going 7-for-7 with 15 points and seven assists. He wasn’t the only guard to play well either.

Jrue Holiday posted 25 points and six assists while picking up five rebounds and four steals. Most importantly though, he stepped up late in the game and was the New Orleans offense when Davis wasn’t on the court.

Rajon Rondo was what many refer to as “playoff Rondo” on Saturday. That’s fitting as this had the exact feel of a playoff game. The point guard scored 12 points and had 17 assists. His big play was a steal of Kevin Durant late in the game.

Cheick Diallo was the big man off the bench, while Darius Miller and Solomon Hill filled in at the wings. All three gave New Orleans strong minutes, include solid depth defense.

The Pelicans came out firing in the first but struggled in the next two frames. This was a major sign of maturity though, as they closed out the Warriors in the fourth, winning the quarter by 10 and taking a 126-120 win.

Obviously, the win helps the Pelicans playoff hopes tremendously. What it also does is show they can close out high-pressure games and can work with a short bench. That’s something that’s much more common in the playoffs, so the low-man rotation was good to see on Saturday.

The Pelicans now stand just 0.5 games back from the Jazz, with two games left on their schedule. Their next game is against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.

Next: Who will the Pelicans play in the first round

These last two games should be extremely entertaining, as well as important. The good news; it appears as if the New Orleans Pelicans are up to the task.

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