Lack of effort killed the New Orleans Pelicans against the Spurs.
The New Orleans Pelicans forgot to come out of the locker room again in the first half, fell behind early to the Spurs and spent the rest of the game trying to catch up.
The effort was there in the second half, but it was too little to late, as the Spurs built a 17-point halftime lead that the Pelicans were never able to erase.
It was a disappointing loss with the season on the line, as several of the Pelicans not only played poorly, but lacked effort and intensity, which has been their problem throughout the restart.
It wasn’t a good performance for the New Orleans Pelicans, and their lackluster grades will reflect that.
Point Guards
Frank Jackson didn’t play much in this one, as Alvin Gentry went mostly with the starters and J.J. Redick. Jackson was part of the third quarter “all hustle” lineup that got the Pelicans back in the game, and he did hit a big three-pointer to get the Pels close. But Jackson went just two for five overall, turned the ball over twice and his energy wasn’t enough to overcome that. This has been the story for Jackson: he plays hard, can defend but can’t knock down shots consistently. He might have a place on this roster next season, but it’s possible the Pels let him walk in favor of someone who can either shoot or run the offense more effectively.
I wrote that Lonzo Ball left his swagger outside the bubble and it didn’t return yesterday with the season on the line. This entire restart has been a nightmare for Lonzo, who went from scorching hot in March to not being able to make a bucket in August. He was just two for ten for five points, missed all of his three-pointers and turned the ball over three times. Lonzo has the propensity for one or two completely boneheaded turnovers per game, such as when he tried an ill-advised lob to a well-defended Zion that ended up in the 75th row of the empty arena.
Lonzo let his poor shooting affect everything else, though he did have ten assists in this game.
In the end, I’m not that worried about Lonzo, as a six-game sample isn’t enough to panic, but he needs to find confidence in his shot again, get better at finishing at the rim (has anyone ever missed so many layups?) and cut out the head-scratching turnovers if he wants to be a max player.