The New Orleans Pelicans opened up play inside the NBA’s bubble on Thursday evening by taking on the Utah Jazz. The back-and-forth game featured some lows early from New Orleans and some highs in the middle periods.
But while much has changed around the world in the four months since the Pelicans last played a basketball game, much of the same problems plagued them on the court as they collapsed down the stretch to fall to Utah, 106-104.
New Orleans controlled long sections of the second and third quarters and looked close to blowing the game open at times. But with Zion Williamson limited, the team watched its lead slowly slip away, leading to a 97-94 advantage with 5:00 to go.
That would signify a “clutch” situation as defined by the NBA – contests that are within five points with five minutes left – an area the Pelicans have struggled mightily in this season. Thursday was no different as the team finished with an offensive rating of 63.6, a defensive rating of 120.0 and a net rating of -56.4 in those five clutch minutes.
It wasn’t all bad for the Pelicans down the stretch, but too much of it was. The offense managed just seven points over those final five minutes while the defense allowed 12.
Here’s a look at three plays from each side of the court that proved to be difference-makers in the loss.
Fast forward all the way to the final 90 seconds of the game. The score is tied at 102-102 after a huge JJ Redick three-pointer one possession earlier. After forcing a miss from Mike Conley, New Orleans has the chance to take the lead.
But like is often the case with the offense late, it turns into one-on-one iso ball with no movement away from the ball. Jrue Holiday is a superb player but he isn’t the type of player that can consistently create his own shot.
Furthermore, by Derrick Favors staying in the dunker’s spot, the weak side of the court is too crowded for much to happen. As Holiday crosses over and starts to make a move to the rim, JJ Redick wisely relocates to the top of the key to open up the floor.
Holiday, though, loses his balance and kicks out to Lonzo Ball, who had a poor shooting night by finishing just 2-of-13 from the field. With 12 seconds left on the shot clock, there’s plenty of time to work for a better shot but Ball rushes a contested corner three that doesn’t fall.
Ball actually recovers after the missed three and takes advantage of an overzealous Rudy Gobert that was dribbling upcourt. Ball’s steal and Gobert’s immediate foul gives New Orleans another chance to take the lead.
This time, the Pelicans have a much better plan of action offensively. The team runs an interesting Horns set that has Redick at the elbow across from Favors. Ball makes an entry pass the cuts toward Redick who sets a down screen. Ball is open for a brief moment but Favors’ pass is just a bit too far in front of Ball.
Still, Ball recovers and kicks to Holiday in the corner. He attacks the closeout and finds Ingram at the top of the key for an open three-pointer. The shot misses but it’s a far, far better offensive possession than the one prior.
The original Horns look also has some other wrinkles to it. If the pass doesn’t go to Ball, it could lead to a dribble handoff to Redick, an action he excels in, and the offense can flow from there as well.
The final play is a defensive one that Brandon Ingram himself pointed out as a miscue after the game. Much of the attention regarding Ingram at the end of the game was on his final shot that didn’t fall, but in the postgame presser, he focused on the defensive side of the ball as the biggest areas of improvement.
“It looked like a good shot,” Ingram said of his missed buzzer-beater in his post-game presser. “It’s a shot I’ve been working on. But like I said, the offense is not what I’m worried about. The last three plays on the defensive play were the foul on me, me digging in on the help side was me and being the low man on the defensive side was me. So, that’s some things that I can fix and the outcome of that game would have been a little different and wouldn’t have come down to that three.”
The last of those three examples he gave is pictured above. The Jazz run a high ball screen with Conley and Gobert that is a tough cover for any team. Conley rejects the screen, though, and is side-by-side with Ball going to the rim. The Pelicans’ drop coverage allows Favors the ability to get back and challenge the shot as both he and Ball force a difficult attempt from Conley.
Ingram finds himself in a tough situation on the weak side. He is the low man but he also has Joe Ingles, a 40.6% career three-point shooter, to be mindful of as well as Gobert, one of the best big men in the league, diving to the rim. His split second of hesitation on the play means he can’t fully get in front of Gobert which allows him to tip the ball back out for an offensive rebound to recycle the possession.
Eventually, Gobert would be fouled on the ensuing possession and would hit two free throws to eventually win the game. It’s a fine margin for Ingram but as a player proven to be a perfectionist – not a bad trait to have as a professional athlete – it was a play that could have changed the game in the end.
