New Orleans Pelicans Player Grades in Win Over Golden State
The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Golden State Warriors 115-101 and edged closer to the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
The New Orleans Pelicans had a shaky first half but were able to turn it on in the second behind Jrue Holiday and a 3-point barrage from Nicolo Melli against a shorthanded and just plain bad Golden State Warriors team. The Warriors were missing Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, so this was a game the New Orleans Pelicans had to win. Someone forgot to tell the Pelicans, as they stumbled to a 56-46 halftime deficit behind poor shooting and sloppy turnovers.
The New Orleans Pelicans are one of the top shooting teams in the NBA, but were able to net just 34.7 percent of their shots from the field in the first half, including 7-21 from 3-point range. The Pelicans were playing like they were jet lagged and it looked like they might give away a very winnable game.
But a strong halftime message from rookie Zion Williamson did the trick, and the New Orleans Pelicans were able to come out and establish themselves in the second half. They are now just 3.5 games behind Memphis for the final playoff spot and hope to keep rolling against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
It wasn’t the prettiest game ever played, but a win is a win. Here are the player grades for the New Orleans Pelicans in their victory against Golden State.
Point Guards
Point Guard. New Orleans Pelicans. LONZO BALL. B+.
Lonzo Ball ended the night with just two points on 1-6 shooting. He continues to struggle finishing around the rim and missed a couple of bunnies, including a point-blank layup off an offensive rebound. Ball did tally nine assists and only two turnovers and played strong defense with four steals. He also added six rebounds to a solid all-around game. Ball’s shot wasn’t there but he was a floor leader and his passing got the Pelicans some easy buckets when their shots were not falling from the perimeter. Ball has quietly become one of the most solid all-around point guards in the league and doesn’t need to score to make an impact on the game.