The New Orleans Pelicans have repeatedly faltered in late-game situations this year. While their net rating in clutch situations (plus-2.3) would indicate they are one of the better teams in clutch situations, a deeper dive unveils the more realistic truth.
While the NBA defines clutch situations as games decided by five points in the final five minutes, shrinking that down to the final three minutes drops the Pelicans’ net rating to minus-7.2.
Reddit user u/RuggedBeliefSystem pointed out a much more revealing stat. If NBA games ended after 45 minutes instead of 48, the Pelicans would have a record of 34-23 as opposed to their current record of 25-32. That’s the difference between being 11th in the Western Conference, where they are now, and being sixth, above the play-in competition.
The team’s most recent late-game collapse on Sunday was perhaps the most frustrating. A pair of mistakes in the final 10 seconds — Eric Bledsoe not fouling after being instructed to do so and Lonzo Ball overhelping on a drive — led to the Knicks tying the game with 2.3 seconds left to force overtime and eventually win.
It led to a frustrated Stan Van Gundy sounding off on his Pelicans team after the loss as the Pelicans continue to slip farther away from the play-in game. If the team is to turn its season around late, it will almost certainly need to execute in close game situations and, specifically, the final three minutes of contests.
