A slow first quarter proved too costly on a night when the Pelicans battled one of the Eastern Conference’s elite on the road until the very end before falling to the Sixers on Friday, 116-109.
The Good: The fight
Too often in the Pelicans’ current now 11-game losing streak, the team has rolled over and played dead after falling behind by double digits. That appeared to be what the case was going to be on Friday when Philly jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first half but New Orleans rallied in a big way.
A 7-0 run to close the first half cut a 12-point lead down to five and set the stage for a close second half. Moral victories are not going to turn the season around but considering where the Pelicans are currently, they should be a welcome change.
Honorable mention: Brandon Ingram (yet again), Derrick Favors’ return, the lack of turnovers
The Bad: Another loss
Moral victories don’t end double-digit losing streaks. It was always a daunting task for New Orleans to get its first win in weeks against the Sixers on the road but the first-quarter performance doomed them from the start. From the second quarter on, the Pelicans outscored Philly 84-77. That doesn’t matter as much when you lose the first quarter by double-digits.
But in the search of positives, if the team can replicate the performance from the final three quarters on Friday when they play the Magic on Sunday, it should lead to a rare win.
Honorable mentions: The offense outside of Ingram, the defense on Tobias Harris
The Ball: A quiet night
Lonzo Ball was mainly a pedestrian on the night. He finished with six points, three assists and two rebounds with a steal and a turnover. It wasn’t even necessarily a poor shooting night as he only attempted six shots and made two of them, including going 1-of-3 from three.
These are the nights Ball has to avoid. At times, he just drifted around the court and was a total non-factor. In the past, those could be times when he’d make an impact defensively to spark his game. Those moments have been totally non-existent this season.
