The Pelicans’ losing streak reached 12 games on Sunday afternoon with a 130-116 loss at home to the Orlando Magic.
The Good: The time of the game
Much like last weekend’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the good news for Sunday’s loss is that it happened in the afternoon with plenty of time to do other things on the day. The Pelicans were in the game for most of the first half but then were outscored 41-27 in the third and never could make up the deficit in the fourth.
The Bad: The effort
It’s been a reoccurring problem for much of the losing streak, but on Sunday in the second half, the effort was terrible. The meltdown was highlighted by Josh Hart’s technical and a pair of technicals and an ejection from Alvin Gentry.
It’s the same old song and dance with this team currently. A handful of good quarters are wholly undone by either a stretch or even a full quarter of bad play. At a certain point, questions about Gentry’s role in their lacklusterness should be asked.
The Ball: Start fast, finish slow
Lonzo Ball’s play on the night mirrored that of the Pelicans on the night. The Pelicans started fast and so did Ball as he had one of his best halves of the season. But he followed it with a half that is becoming all too common for him and the team as he drifted and had little impact.
At the end of the day, he finished with a stat line of nine points, six assists and five rebounds on 3-of-7 shooting overall and 2-of-4 shooting from deep. But that stat line is deceiving for all the reasons lifted above.
