The New Orleans Pelicans fell to 2-0 on the season after losing to the Dallas Mavericks 123-116 in their home opener. Here was the good, the bad and the Ball from Friday’s game.
The Good: Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis
The pairing of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis has been as advertised so far. On Friday against the Pelicans, the two European phenoms combined for 49 points on 18-36 shooting from the field. Doncic notched his first triple-double of the season, while Porzingis tallied five blocks.
Delon Wright was also a problem for the Pelicans, scoring 20 points on 8-12 shooting from the field with no 3-point attempts. After getting nine blocks as a team in their regular season opener against the Toronto Raptors, the Pelicans struggled to protect the rim in their home opener against the Mavericks with just three blocks.
That brings us to our next slide.
The Bad: Rim protection
When the New Orleans Pelicans had Anthony Davis on their roster last season, they ranked No. 7 in blocks per game. In the season before that, they ranked No. 3 in blocks per game.
The Pelicans seemingly blocked everything the Raptors put up on Tuesday, but they had a harder time against the Mavericks’ size. That might have to do with the fact that the only “true” centers on the roster are Derrick Favors, who is 6’10, and Jahlil Okafor, a non-shot blocking center.
It’s early in the season, but it’s not hard to imagine this will be a recurring problem for the Pels. Expect them to explore a trade for some size at February’s deadline if they’re still in reach for a playoff spot.
The Ball
Friday was more of the same for Lonzo Ball. While he scored a season-high 15 points, it was on 6-16 shooting from the field, including 3-12 shooting from behind the arc. Usually he’s able to make up for it in other areas in the box score, but even though he grabbed eight rebounds and dished five assists, he posted a -19.4 net rating and allowed 122.2 points per 100 possessions.
For a guard tandem that was supposed to be lockdown defensively, Ball and Jrue Holiday have struggled to figure it out on the defensive end. In their defense, though (pun intended), the whole team has struggled defensively.
Ball and the Pelicans will regroup before taking on the Houston Rockets on Saturday.
