The New Orleans Pelicans advanced to the NBA playoffs after a close win over the Los Angeles Clippers. It has been four years since the Pelicans made it to the postseason and this will be the first trip for many of their players.
The first quarter started off with Brandon Ingram scoring 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting. It was all Pelicans for the first quarter and even in most of the second quarter, but BI cooled down and only added two more points before halftime.
The Clippers started to pull away but the Pels got help from some unexpected places, as CJ McCollum struggled, shooting just 1-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Larry Nance Jr. played 24 minutes off of the bench and dropped a 14 point, 16 rebound double-double, which the Pelicans desperately needed with Jonas Valanciunas and Jaxson Hayes struggling.
In the fourth quarter, the Pelicans were trailing 87-74 with 10:51 left to play. During a timeout, Willie Green said, “You’ve got to fight” and indeed the Pelicans did. They went on a 14-1 run to regain the lead, but it kept going back and forth with Brandon Ingram making big play after big play. He finished the game with 30 points on 66 percent shooting.
Trey Murphy III hit some clutch threes for the Pelicans and looked like a veteran down the stretch. He had 14 points off the bench and was 4-6 from three-point range. Willie Green went with veteran Tony Snell earlier in the game, but Murphy’s clutch shooting ended up making a huge difference.
Everyone on the team needs to soak in this moment, especially to those who are going to the playoffs for the first time. Brandon Ingram said postgame:
"“I’ve never had a winning record. I’ve never been in the postseason. So, I’ll get my chance to showcase my talent on the biggest stage. It’s beautiful.”"
After starting the season 1-12, no one thought the Pelicans would be headed to the playoffs, but they are the 8th seed and will try to shock the Phoenix Suns starting on Sunday.