The New Orleans Pelicans fell 122-109 to the Portland Trail Blazers, extending their losing streak to six straight games. I may be starting to sound like a broken record, but the Pelicans are in desperate need of consistent shooting from beyond the arc. Obviously, New Orleans being without three of the team's top five players in three-point attempts per game didn’t help tonight, but this isn’t a one-game issue.
It’s hard to imagine how deflated this team must feel walking into the locker room after battling and staying close all night, only to lose because they couldn’t keep up on the shooting end.
Portland outscored New Orleans by 24 points from three alone and attempted 17 more threes than the Pelicans. Another telling stat: the Pelicans' first three made in the second half came from Bryce McGowens at the 10:38 mark of the fourth quarter.
With the holidays passing, I saw a lot of family I hadn’t seen in some time, and one of the most common questions I was asked was, "What’s wrong with the Pelicans?" They pointed out how much talent is on the roster and how disappointing the results have been. The easy answer for me is that they just don't have the mix of personnel you need in the modern NBA.
They have a ton of players you could plug and play on any of the other 29 teams, and they help one of those teams win games, but none of them are elite shooters. In the modern NBA, no matter how many good players you have, if you don't have shooting, you simply aren’t going to win consistently.
The positive takeaways
The first guy is Zion Williamson, who, in my opinion, had a horrible whistle in this game, only getting to the free-throw line eight times. Despite that, he finished the game with 35 points on 57 percent shooting, which he did against one of the league's best rim protectors in Donovan Clingan.
Another person who deserves a shoutout is Jeremiah Fears. He came out of the gate with two blocks in the first 42 seconds and played a complete game, finishing with 18 points to go along with five rebounds and four dimes. He's had a few rough outings as of late, so it was good to see him bounce back.
Karlo Matković was also incredible. He ran the floor so well all game and made it easy for both Jordan Poole and Fears in transition, as it was just straight lob city any time he was running on the open floor. Matković continues to prove why I see him as the perfect backup big for the modern NBA, as he's athletic, smart, and can stretch the floor all in one. He finished the game with 16 points and knocked down two triples.
Kevon Looney also deserves a shoutout because without him, the Pelicans would have lost the rebound battle by way more than just two. His incredible awareness and active hands created eight-second-chance opportunities for the Pelicans, and he pulled down 12 total rebounds. He was also one of two Pelicans to finish with a positive plus-minus.
Lastly, Micah Peavy stood out defensively. He led the team in plus-minus and was the only player who consistently slowed down Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe. Peavy’s ability to slide his feet and stay in front of opposing players is rare for a rookie. While he struggled offensively, shooting 1-for-9 from the field, him finishing a plus-12 helped offset those shooting woes.