The New Orleans Pelicans didn’t execute late and blew a winnable game against the Indiana Pacers.
The New Orleans Pelicans and Indiana Pacers were like two heavyweights going back and forth and it was the Pacers who were able to land the knockout.
The Pelicans blew a ten-point lead (more on that in a second) late in the fourth quarter after an insane sequence where Victor Oladipo hit a 3-pointer, then ripped it from Lonzo Ball, eventually leading to another Pacers’ three.
It was not a great moment for Lonzo, whose heroic shooting was part of the reason the Pels had the lead in the first place.
It was an up and down game that tested the mental health, and it was a game that the New Orleans Pelicans should have won.
New Orleans Pelicans: The Pelicans have to get better at closing games
Overreaction #1: The New Orleans Pelicans can’t close!
The Pels have been very good in third quarters this season, often building leads in that they are promptly blowing in the fourth.
Two games in the row the Pels had ten-point leads late in the fourth quarter that they blew in the span of minutes.
Part of this is that the Pelicans tend to take their foot off the gas, which you cannot do against any NBA team with five minutes left in the game.
The Pels have been walking the ball up the court when they have a lead late, going to Brandon Ingram over and over again and playing hero ball instead of running an offense.
Ingram has been amazing but some of the shots he’s being asked to hit are high degree of difficulty.
The Pelicans need to keep pushing and running their offense when they have leads late instead of just going to Ingram and expecting him to hit a tough shot.
Zion Williamson once again had the entire opposing team in foul trouble yet was on the bench during overtime when they could have used a high-percentage bucket.
The Pels need to get more versatile with their late-game offense when trying to close it out.