New Orleans Pelicans: Player Grades in 110-104 Win Over the Heat

Ingram was good when it mattered and the New Orleans Pelicans were able to hold off the Miami Heat, gaining ground in the Western Conference playoff chase in the process.

Brandon Ingram had one of the worst shooting nights of his career and Zion Williamson saw his 13-game streak of 20+ points end, but the New Orleans Pelicans were still able to get a win behind strong play from their guards.

Having lost three in a row and watching their playoff hopes slip away, the Pelicans were desperate for a victory on a night when they had a chance to gain ground on three of the teams they are chasing.

The San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers all lost, so the New Orleans Pelicans’ win put them just four back of the Grizzlies for the eight seed. They are in a virtual tie with San Antonio and just a half game behind Portland and Sacramento.

Five Thirty Eight now gives the Pelicans a 57 percent chance of making the playoffs, up 15 percent from when the day began.

It wasn’t the prettiest game for the New Orleans Pelicans, but they were able to scratch one out at home and keep their narrow playoff chances alive with 19 games remaining.

Here are the player grades after a big win over Miami in the Smoothie King Center.

Point Guards

Lonzo Ball has been playing his best basketball of the season and he continued against the Miami Heat.

Ball had another great all-around game with 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, but it has been his leadership on the floor that has stood out.

With the New Orleans Pelicans struggling to score in the fourth quarter, Ball was able to net four points in a row to keep them in the lead.

Ball did have four turnovers and it seems like he has at least one or two mental lapses every game, but Ball’s competitiveness and leadership have been really fun to watch.

It’s obvious he cares and wants to win, which is something that can’t be taught.

After having a big night off the struggling New Orleans Pelicans’ bench in the previous game, Frank Jackson cooled off, hitting just 1 of 7 shots for five points. Jackson did add five rebounds and his only make was a 3-pointer. Jackson ended the night with a +9 plus/minus, and played decent on the ball defense in his 16 minutes of action.

With the Pelicans bench continuing its cold streak, they will need Jackson to come off the bench and get buckets.

Shooting Guards

Jrue Holiday was able to carry the New Orleans Pelicans on a night when they did not have their best offensive game.

Holiday filled the scorecard in his typical quiet fashion, and continues to be a professional that the Pelicans can count on every night. He notched 20 points, six rebounds and six assists, including this beauty to Zion for the dunk.

https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA/status/1236109655492800513

Holiday led the team in scoring, picking up the slack for Ingram and lifting the team several times when they needed a big bucket.

Holiday is a master at choosing his spots to take over and knowing when the young New Orleans Pelicans teams needs him to score.

Josh Hart‘s recent struggles finally came to an end last night and his play off the bench proved to be the deciding factor for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Hart was mired in a season-worst slump, hitting just 19.3 percent of his 3-point shots in his previous six games.

Hart’s confidence looked to be shaken and the Pelicans were left wondering where their bench production was going to come from.

Hart was his normal aggressive self against the Heat, getting to the line for four attempts, knocking down 3 of 7 from behind the arc, and grabbing 12 boards on his way to a double-double on a night when the Pelicans needed him most.

Hart seemed to have found his stroke and his confidence, as he was able to knock down a huge fourth quarter 3-pointer in the waning minutes of the game.

Hart will need to continue to play aggressively and look for his shot off the bench for the New Orleans Pelicans, especially with the bench struggling.

Hart is the emotional leader of this team and the Pelicans feed off of his energy when he is playing well.

Zion Williamson had a nice bounce-back game after being somewhat exposed against the Dallas Mavericks in the previous outing.

After getting his shot blocked continuously by the Mavericks, Zion was able to shoot 7 of 9 for 17 points, while grabbing six rebounds and providing his usual highlight reel dunks, including this one that he was able to corral off the backboard.

Zion did add another three turnovers, which has been a problem of late. It was nice to see Zion be able to play 32 minutes in his third game in four days. Williamson looked somewhat hobbled and fatigued against Dallas, so it was good to see him bounce back for a solid game against the Heat.

Brandon Ingram had a roller coaster of a night. For most of the game Ingram was unable to hit anything. The young All-Star admitted as much saying “It felt like I went 0 for 20…”

Ingram was’t far off. The lanky forward missed 15 of his first 17 shots on a night that would have been forgettable if not for the end.

Ingram suddenly found the range in the final three minutes of the game, hitting a tough jumper before knocking down a 3-pointer that may have saved the game for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Ingram has been scoring like a young Durant lately, and showed a scorer’s mentality and no fear late in the game, exactly what you want from your Alpha-offensive player.

It was ultimately a night Ingram would like to forget, but sometimes it’s not how many shots you hit, but when you hit them.

Ingram came up big when it mattered and was able to get the New Orleans Pelicans a win that they desperately needed.

Nicolo Melli is another of the New Orleans Pelicans’ bench players who has been struggling. Coming into the game, Melli had hit just 4 of 23 from behind the arc over his last four games for a dismal 17.3 percent.

Not much changed for Melli last night, as he hit just 2 of 7 from long-range for nine points.

Melli did add six assists and three rebounds, so it wasn’t a terrible night, but Melli needs to start knocking down these open looks.

He is the beneficiary of a ton of wide-open shots with so much attention paid to Williamson and Ingram, but if he doesn’t knock them down, Melli doesn’t have much value to the team.

This will be something to monitor for the rest of the season heading into the offseason, as the New Orleans Pelicans may look to find another stretch four (someone like free agent Danilo Gallinari) who can spread the floor and knock them down more consistently.

Derrick Favors didn’t play much against the Heat and continues to be a matchup-dependent center for the New Orleans Pelicans.

He scored just six points and added four rebounds in his 25 minutes of play. Favors biggest play of the night may have been helping Alvin Gentry win his first challenge of the season after getting elbowed in the face by Bam Adebayo.

The New Orleans Pelicans did what good teams do when they have an off night: they found a way to win. They will continue to chase the final playoff spot in a Sunday afternoon game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The New Orleans Pelicans showed grit against the Heat and that they are not going to just go silently into the night.