The New Orleans Pelicans suffered a crushing setback after an embarrassing capitulation against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Pels were up 16 points with ten minutes to go in the fourth quarter, but Portland chipped away at that advantage behind Damian Lillard’s heroics until it was no more. It was an awful loss for New Orleans on the road, who have blown ten double-digit leads this season alone.
After sparking out the Cleveland Cavaliers and then the Los Angeles Clippers consecutively, the Pelicans continue to be the frontrunners for the most baffling team in the association. There is little rhyme or reason for the Pels’ fluctuations. The only consistency at this point is the team’s inconsistency.
Tuesday night’s game will be rightfully remembered for Lillard’s performance. The all-star guard yet again demonstrated why he is arguably the most clutch player in today’s game. Lillard ended his night with 50 points, scoring 20 of those after the third quarter. He was the one who dragged the Trail Blazers out of the doldrums, of course including the free throws that won the game for Portland.
In the wake of a demoralizing loss, here are my grades for the Blazers game, starting with my personal MVP:
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Blazers: Grading the best player
Another elite game from Zion Williamson, who finished with 28 points on 65 percent shooting from the field. Williamson also finished with a career-high eight assists but was not as imposing on the glass as he is on other nights.
The Pels’ all-star continues to be their most consistent and dependable performer. Robert Covington was overwhelmed by him, while Derrick Jones Jr. was overpowered by him. It’s no secret at this juncture that Williamson is an extremely hard cover for any wing or forward in the NBA.
I’ve read some criticism about Williamson not being “the man” down the stretch, but I’m not sure I agree. He played the most minutes of any Pelicans player in the fourth quarter and took the most shots while also handling the ball quite a bit. There are definitely nights where Williamson hasn’t seen the ball as much as he should down the stretch, but I don’t share the sentiment that this was one of them.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Blazers: Grades for the guards
Lonzo Ball continued to shoot the ball well in the Pels’ game at Portland, but it wasn’t his scoring that stood out. Ball finished with 17 assists to just two turnovers, a tally that any facilitator should strive for.
Ball played the second most minutes of all the New Orleans players. He was constantly involved, setting his teammates up and quickly moving the ball around the floor. Ball found his teammates for countless easy looks and they did a good job finishing them.
In particular, I liked how Ball generated lots of three-point opportunities for the Pels. He played with his head up and demonstrated why the Pelicans should try hard to come to terms with him on a new deal this upcoming summer.
The main reason why I’m docking him slightly is that, like all of the Pels’ guards, Ball struggled to defend Damian Lillard. Still, he competed when guarding him and I wish we had seen Ball on the Blazers’ flamethrower towards the end of the contest.
Watch out for Eric Bledsoe as a pivotal name ahead of the trade deadline at the end of the month. Bledsoe did okay against the Trail Blazers, scoring 11 points and only turning the ball over once.
Bledsoe’s perimeter shooting continues to be the most appealing thing about him right now. He is hovering at around 38 percent from deep this season, which would be his best three-point shooting season since 2012-13.
Bledsoe made two threes against Portland and was more aggressive than usual attacking the basket, but he probably erased whatever goodwill he earned on offense with his showing on defense.
It’s not only on him, but Bledsoe was recurringly punished by Damian Lillard. This culminated in Bledsoe’s foul on Lillard that gave him the free throws necessary to win the game.
He is currently a shell of his former first team all-defense self. The Pelicans expected much more from Bledsoe on the defensive end of the floor and, so far, they haven’t gotten it at all. If he ends up moving to another team, an interesting narrative will be Bledsoe’s defensive effort and whether he ramps it up assuming he exits New Orleans.
Kira Lewis Jr. only played nine minutes against the Blazers, his lowest since reentering the New Orleans rotation. This game came too early for him in his career.
Lewis had a couple of assists and one steal, but he failed to spark the Pels off the bench. The speed of the game was too much for him and he struggled defensively.
The Alabama draftee evidently had a tough time against one of the NBA’s best backcourts. Gary Trent Jr. went through him a few times, in particular. Lewis will just need to accept that this was a tough game and continue to work hard during his rookie year.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker suffered an ankle injury against the Los Angeles Clippers but was ready to go against the Blazers.
The Virginia Tech product had a good game that will, unfortunately, be marred by one grave mistake at the end. Before we get to that, though, Alexander-Walker was a sparkplug for the Pelicans off the bench.
Alexander-Walker had 20 points, making six of his nine threes. He was always ready to pull the trigger from the perimeter and played with no hesitation or fear. The one blemish on his game was his turnovers. The game still moves at a fast pace for Alexander-Walker at times and he can be prone to putting his head down and committing unnecessary mistakes.
With New Orleans one point up and five seconds left, Alexander-Walker fumbled Lonzo Ball’s inbound pass and turned the ball over. Hopefully, he can focus on his good performance rather than the error, although that will be difficult.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Blazers: Grades for the wings
Brandon Ingram had another nice scoring night, leading the Pelicans in points and field goal attempts.
But much like Eric Bledsoe and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Ingram’s game versus Portland will be remembered for what he didn’t do. With the game essentially on the line, the Pels wing missed both of his pivotal free throws. This opened the opportunity for the Trail Blazers to complete their comeback win.
The missed free throws will only help the case that some of Ingram’s detractors make. There are those who contend that Ingram is not reliable in the clutch and that he needs to up that part of his game in order to truly consolidate himself as one of the NBA’s top players.
Ingram also had a careless night on the ball, racking up five turnovers. He handled the ball plenty, but was insecure with it and turned it over too much for my liking.
Josh Hart was one of New Orleans’ best players against the Trail Blazers with 16 points and nine rebounds.
The Villanova wing did what he always does. He played smart on offense, making a couple of threes, and put pressure on the opposing team’s rim. Hart was typically aggressive with his galloping drives and enjoyed some good results.
The only reason why Hart does not get an A- is simply because of defense. Hart didn’t particularly do anything wrong, but he still found himself at the mercy of the Blazers’ late offensive barrage at times. It’s during games like this where I wish the Pelicans had another playable wing, if only to toss out different looks against opponents when they catch fire. Let’s see if that happens next season with a new acquisition or someone already in the organization.
Hart was a close second for MVP of the night behind Zion Williamson.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Blazers: Grades for the bigs
This was probably Steven Adams’ worst night in a New Orleans Pelicans uniform.
The New Zealand center was borderline unplayable against the Trail Blazers, but the Pels didn’t really have any other options they could go to. Adams was shredded time and time again in high pick-and-roll action involving Damian Lillard. Any screen at the top of the floor meant instant trouble for the Pelicans and Adams was in the picture every single time.
Lillard raining three after three isn’t an indictment on Adams. Of course he can’t guard one of the NBA’s best scorers, but this still happened and it gives me worries about the Kiwi big in playoff situations. Will Adams be able to stay on the floor against the best teams in the league?
I don’t think Stan Van Gundy is entirely to blame for Adams’ defensive woes against Portland. If the Pels had Adams (or any other center for that matter) meet Lillard up high and play horizontal to him, then he would have just killed them off the dribble. In my eyes, this is more so a personnel issue brought on by the front office’s squad building than a tactical problem.
Jaxson Hayes played about 20 minutes and generally did fine offensively, making both of his shots.
It is defensively where the big man struggled. Hayes picked up four fouls and had a really difficult time guarding the Trail Blazers, much like Steven Adams. I’m not sure about how much we should read into this.
On one hand, Hayes has had an up-and-down season. He is only in his second year in the NBA and the center position is tough to figure out, especially nowadays. However, it’s also true that the Pels drafted Hayes with the idea of him being a switchy, mobile rim protector. If Hayes can’t switch, then you have to double think your frontcourt options at the end of the year.
Willy Hernangómez’s scarce minutes don’t warrant a grade, but it was a brief cameo by the big Spaniard.
Hernangómez played for a few moments with Steven Adams and Jaxson Hayes in foul trouble. He was instantly put into screening action by the Blazers. Hernangómez’s problems are what they have always been: despite putting up decent offensive production in limited minutes, he is a minus on the other end of the floor.
Again, I remain interested in seeing what two-way player Will Magnay and South Sudan forward Wenyen Gabriel could bring to the table if given minutes by Van Gundy.