The New Orleans Pelicans lost 116-115 in an overtime thriller against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday. Ja Morant was the star of the show yet again for the Grizzlies, scoring 31 points and leading his team to four straight wins since his return from suspension. Entering the fourth quarter, the Pelicans led by 13 points. But poor shot selection and lethargic defense saw them blow that advantage and lose the game.
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After the game, a visibly disappointed Brandon Ingram said that the team will have to learn from its mistakes:
“[The Pelicans are] a young team with not many veterans. Not many people that have been in that situation [that the team was in]. We’ll all figure it out together. We got 50 more games to go.“
The Pelicans have lost three of their last four games, twice to the Grizzlies and once to the Houston Rockets. New Orleans held the lead heading into the fourth quarter in all three losses. They blew a five-point fourth-quarter lead against the Rockets and a ten and a 13-point advantage against the Grizzlies.
At one point in the third quarter, the Pelicans had a 15-point lead. However, that was washed away by the Grizzlies’ dominant 36-23 run in the fourth quarter that forced overtime. Memphis edged out New Orleans by a narrow 13-12 lead in OT.
Ingram was also asked about the offense’s struggles late in these games. The veteran star replied:
“[The opposition defenses] keyed in on the stars on the team. We need to figure out how we can make everybody better in that moment and trust everybody in that moment.“
Ingram implied that he, Zion Williamson, and CJ McCollum, the stars of the team, will have to be more decisive to facilitate and create better shots late in the game for their teammates. “We need to figure out how we can execute late in the game and figure out what’s the easiest shot on the basketball floor. It might not come from me, Zion, or CJ,” he added.
The Pelicans have lost two straight games and dropped their record to 17-14. They are currently seventh in the Western Conference standings. They have lost four of their last ten games, including three in the past four. The only loss of the four that they can write off is the one to the Los Angeles Lakers in the In-Season Tournament semi-final. In the other three losses, they have blown big leads in the fourth quarter.
The Pelicans’ stars need to lead their team by example. Ingram, Williamson, and McCollum taking difficult contested jumpers late in the fourth quarter have hurt them significantly. A better game plan is the need of the hour for New Orleans.
CJ McCollum and Pelicans HC admit to team’s chemistry problems
Pelicans’ veteran guard CJ McCollum voiced the same issue that Ingram aired. In the post-game press conference, he said:
“Were a ‘young’ team in terms of not having played together, but you know how to play basketball. You gotta figure it out. Now it’s about putting it all together.”
McCollum is right. The Pelicans are the 11th youngest team in the league but are in a decent position in the race for a playoff spot. Third-year head coach Willie Green admitted that he made an error that cost the Pelicans the win. On the last possession, the Grizzlies were inbounding the ball with only 0.4 seconds left. Marcus Smart threw a lob to Jaren Jackson Jr., who couldn’t dunk the ball but drew a foul from Jonas Valaciunas.
Green admitted the Pelicans shouldn’t have worried about the inbounder as there wasn’t enough time for him to get a pass back from his teammate and shoot the ball. Instead, they should have had an extra player in the paint.
The error sent Jackson to the line. He converted one of two and sent the game to overtime. The Pelicans need to iron out their game plan and eliminate silly mistakes late in the game that prove costly.
