The New Orleans Pelicans were hoping to change their momentum heading into the All-Star break and got off to a good start with a huge win over the 1st-place Utah Jazz.
It took a big 3rd-quarter from Zion Williamson along with strong nights from Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball to get it done, but the Pels gave a glimpse of how good they can be when their “Big 3” all play well.
Zion, BI and Lonzo combined for 75 points, 21 rebounds and 18 assists. This is what David Griffin should be building around. The starters all played huge minutes, which has to be a concern moving forward, as Stan Van Gundy played an 8-man rotation, with all the starters aside from Adams playing at least 34 minutes.
The New Orleans Pelicans didn’t play much defense as usual but if they continue to score 129 points, it won’t matter much.
The Pels have done this before, so I am not going to get too excited until I see them stack some wins but it was nice to finally get one against the Utah Jazz.
Here are the grades.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Utah Jazz: Grade for Lonzo Ball
Lonzo Ball continues to play his best basketball of the season and it’s been impressive to watch him play so well while still evolving into a new role for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Lonzo ended with 23 points, eight assists and seven rebounds and only nine of his points came from behind the 3-point line, which is a good sign, as he needs to get more buckets at the rim or on breaks, which he did against Utah.
He also had a couple of highlight-reel passes, including a nearly full-court lob in the 3rd-quarter that changed the momentum of the game.
Lonzo is a keeper and the Pels are probably going to regret not getting his extension done over the offseason.
Pelicans vs. Jazz: Grades for the shooting guards
Eric Bledsoe did not shoot the ball well but he stepped up his defense, especially in the second half. He ended the night with five rebounds, five assists and two steals, so Bledsoe found ways to contribute even though his shot wasn’t falling.
This is all the Pels really need out of him.
The New Orleans Pelicans were determined to get more buckets at the rim and Josh Hart did his part, chipping in 13 points and seven rebounds without even attempting a 3-pointer.
The Pelicans only shot 11 from behind the arc as a team, something we may see more of as they transition to an offense dominated by Zion Williamson.
Hart added a block and a steal in his 24 minutes.
FINALLY!! Fans of the New Orleans Pelicans have been waiting for a classic J.J. Redick game for most of the season and he finally had one, scoring 17 points in 20 minutes and hitting 3-of-4 from behind the arc including two four-point plays.
The biggest came off an amazing kick-out from Zion when he was tripled-teamed and somehow found Redick for the go-ahead 3-pointer.
Redick has taken a lot of heat this year and has been hearing the trade rumors, but the truth is that if he plays like this he is more valuable to the Pelicans than anything they will get in return.
Let’s hope this is the start of Redick being that scoring threat off the bench that the Pels have lacked all season.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Jazz: Player Grades for the small forwards
Brandon Ingram bounced back from a couple of off games to get 26 points, five assists and four rebounds vs. the Jazz on a night when he didn’t even attempt a 3-point shot.
I am not sure if this was by design, as I am certain SVG didn’t tell him not to shoot from long-range, but the Pels were obviously making an effort to get more shots in the lane, as they have not shot well from the 3-point line this season.
Ingram went 1-of-10 in a recent loss to the Bucks, so it makes sense that he might try to get his shot back online by getting going from the mid-range, where he is nearly unstoppable.
Ingram did turn the ball over four times, which is something that has plagued him from time to time this season, but he made up for it by setting up his teammates for five assists. He would like that ratio to be better but will take it on a night when the Pelicans needed every second to eek out a victory.
Pelicans vs. Jazz: Grades for the power forward and centers
Zion Williamson continued to impress, breathing life into the New Orleans Pelicans with slick passing and a huge 3rd quarter.
The Pelicans were down at the half before Zion took over in the 3rd quarter with 15 points and two assists to give the Pelicans a lead that they were able to hold onto as the Jazz clawed their way back into the game.
Zion continues to get hacked mercilessly and continues to get NO CALLS. It was amazing how many times he finished through obvious contact only to not get a whistle. Zion is never going to complain about this, so I’ll do it for him. WHAT IS GOING ON?
Can a star player get a call? Zion only shot nine free throws on a night where he got fouled hard consistently. Watch the highlights and you’ll see at least five times where Zion was hacked and couldn’t get a call.
Zion is so strong that he often goes right through the contact, but still, this is getting ridiculous, especially when players are allowed to undercut Zion and not give him a place to land, something that gets called nearly every time if its done to a perimeter player.
Zion Williamson finished the night with 26 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, including two on crucial 3-point shots down the stretch. The big man has been impressive but what is even more impressive is how he keeps his cool about the fouls, as he is less upset by it than I am.
If you can hold Rudy Gobert to single digits in rebounds then you have done your job as a center. Adams finished the night with 11 rebounds of his own, most of which were on the defensive end, which is how the Pels were able to close out so many possessions defensively.
When your defense is not great, defensive rebounding becomes even more crucial, as you can’t afford to give up second shots, so Adams was big on that end.
I am also sick of the “he’s not a fit with Zion! He clogs up the lane!” nonsense. The Pels have the 4th -best offense in the NBA and Zion is dominating, so how exactly is the offense the problem? It isn’t, so please stop with these narratives that seem to come from people who don’t actually watch the games.
Willy Hernangomez is just solid, nothing more and nothing less. He has played himself into an important role in the rotation and doesn’t take anything off the table when he’s in there.
This is really what the New Orleans Pelicans were hoping Jaxson Hayes would do this season but he didn’t and Hernangomez has been a pleasant surprise as he continues to play tough defense, grab rebounds and score with efficiency.
The New Orleans Pelicans have done this before so I am going to save my excitement, as they tend to play well against the good teams, then revert against the bad ones. They have two winnable home games before the break and would love to win them both and have a little momentum for the 2nd half.