It took 20 days and nine straight losses but the New Orleans Pelicans finally picked up their fifth win of the season against the shorthanded Phoenix Suns. There was a strong chance that this game was going to wind up just like their previous nine, as Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones, and Yves Missi were all listed as questionable with a variety of injuries, but, miraculously, all three were able to play.
The Pelicans did have to go without Zion Williamson who's still nursing a strained hamstring and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, but they caught a break with Kevin Durant who was sidelined with a sprained ankle. Jordan Hawkins also remained out with a lumbar spine annular fissure, but his return is on the horizon too. Overall, this was arguably the healthiest game that New Orleans has had all season and the results speak for themselves.
It was a back-and-forth game all night, with the Pels falling into an 11-point hole by halftime. They were able to do something they haven't done all year though — rally in the third quarter — behind a furious 45-point period. The fourth quarter was tightly contested, as the lead flipped twice and equalized once in the last two minutes of the game. Ultimately, though, the Pelicans were able to pull it out, 126-124, behind some excellent performances from their recently returned players.
The Pelicans show their true mettle but it's already too late
This win, as exciting as it was, has to be truly heartbreaking for the Pelicans' faithful. This was the closest that New Orleans has gotten to a full-strength performance all season and it resulted in a momentous win — only the moment has long passed them.
This victory bumps them to 5-18 on the year. They simply have too much ground to cover in a loaded Western Conference to expect them to make even the Play-In Tournament. Barring some truly disastrous outcomes for the handful of teams directly ahead of them, it would take a miracle for New Orleans to make the postseason.
But this win showed what the Pelicans are capable of with this current iteration of the roster. Basically every single member of their core — the same players that they've missed all season — had strong performances.
Brandon Ingram led the way in scoring with 29 points on 10-19 shooting, including 3-6 from deep. He sprinkled in quite a few of his patented midrange jumpers to pull New Orleans out of offensive ruts. CJ McCollum added 25 points on 50 percent accuracy from the field while dishing out six assists. He also scored or assisted on the Pelicans' last 10 points to close out the game.
Dejounte Murray found his rhythm in this game, pouring in 17 points on just 12 shots. He also dealt out three dimes and added two steals. Herb Jones's presence has long been the x-factor for New Orleans though and that was proven in this game. His box score numbers may not jump off the screen at first, but his fingerprints were all over this W.
He finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and four steals. In the last two minutes of the game, he forced a jump-ball by disrupting a bounce pass that would have gone to an open rim-runner, won the jump to come up with the steal, and hit a dagger triple to put the Pels up by four with just 1:49 left. He also played spectacular individual defense.
Perhaps the greatest benefactor from the return of Ingram and Jones was Trey Murphy III. With all of the injuries, the Pelicans needed TMIII to step up and be one of their main offensive options, a role in which he severely underwhelmed. Coming into this game, he was averaging 17.3 points but was hitting just 39 percent from the field and 31 percent from beyond the arc. Against the Suns, he dropped 17 points again but did so on 7-11 shooting including 3-6 from deep. He looked much more comfortable playing his sixth-man role and working off of his on-ball creators.
This was truly an impressive win from the Pelicans in which fans were able to see what most of the parts are supposed to look like. Add in a healthy Zion and it's no wonder why the team and its followers had such high hopes for this roster coming into the season. Unfortunately, some of these players might not be on the team for much longer.