Pelicans Close Road Trip With OT Loss To Lakers
"We didn't deserve to win that game."
That's what Pelicans head coach Willie Green told reporters following his team's 117-120 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
And he was right. The Pelicans played their worst game of the still young season and closed their West Coast road trip as losers of two out of three.
After getting two days off, the Pelicans didn't look rested or ready against the Lakers who entered the game just 1-5 and left with back-to-back wins, something New Orleans has failed to accomplish since the first two games of the season.
The Pels weren't great in the first quarter, but managed to end the opening stanza holding a 27-23 lead.
However, in the second quarter things fell apart.
After extending the lead to six on a floater by Trey Murphy III with 5:41 remaining in the half, the Pelicans became engulfed in an avalanche of missed shots, turnovers, and poor defense.
L.A., which entered the game as the NBA's worst offense, closed the half on a 25-7 run. The Lakers were 13 of 21 from the floor during the second quarter with nine of those buckets coming within the restricted area.
The "Big 3" of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook combined for 16 of the Lakers 33 points in the period, shooting a combined 8 of 9.
The Pelicans were able to turn it on offensively in the second half, outscoring the Lakers 67-55, but each time they got close to wresting control of the game away from the home team, L.A. was able to take it back.
New Orleans helped make that possible by turning it over 13 times and allowing the Lakers to outscore them both in points in the paint (64-66) and fast break points (17-20); both areas where the Pelicans typically dominate.
Still, they had their opportunities.
Down three points with just over one minute to play, CJ McCollum dropped a dime to Zion Williamson, who finished with a two-handed dunk to bring the Pels to within one, 107-108.
That started a quick 6-0 run that was capped by another dunk, this time by Larry Nance Jr., giving New Orleans a 111-108 lead with just seven seconds to play in the fourth.
Rookie Dyson Daniels had the chance to put the game on ice with a pair of free throws with less than two seconds on the clock, but he missed both, allowing L.A. one more chance at a tie.
The Lakers went to Matt Ryan in the far corner and Murphy was late on his rotation, allowing Ryan just enough space to get his shot off. It hit nothing but net, sending the game into overtime and the crowd at Crypto.com Arena into a frenzy.
During the extra five minutes, the Lakers were able to take the lead for good on a tip-in by Anthony Davis that gave L.A. a 116-113 advantage.
New Orleans missed on six of its final eight shot attempts, including McCollum's contested three that would have sent the game into a second overtime period.
Williamson led the Pelicans with 27 points in 36 minutes of action, while grabbing five rebounds and handing out seven assists. His five boards matched his season-low and he has been held to six rebounds or fewer in three of his five games this season.
McCollum fell back to earth after his impressive performance against the Clippers on Sunday, scoring 22 points on 27 shot attempts.
Former Spurs guard Lonnie Walker IV led all scorers with 28 points. James and Davis combined for 40 points, 26 rebounds, and 12 assists.
It was a difficult loss for a team still trying to establish itself in the Western Conference, and even more difficult to swallow considering the opponent.
Every Lakers win decreases the Pelicans' chances of potentially securing the top pick in next season's draft.
Still, the returns of starters Brandon Ingram and Herb Jones appear to be imminent, which should help stabilize things on both ends of the floor and with Green's rotations.
Though they won't remove the sting of this loss, which ended the Pelicans' three-game win streak against the Lakers.
The good thing about the NBA is that there is always another game on the horizon, and New Orleans will welcome the Pels back to the Smoothie King Center on Friday when they take on the defending champion Golden State Warriors (3-5).
Read More Pelicans News:
- Pelicans Top Clippers 112-91 in Zion Williamson's Return
- NBA Peers, Scouting Circles Show Respect For Willie Green
- Pelicans Not Quite Top-10 In ESPN's Futures Power Rankings
- Brandon Ingram Placed In Concussion Protocols
- CJ McCollum Praises Trey Murphy on ESPN's NBA Today
- Pels Have No Doubt Dyson Daniels Is Day One Ready
- Pelicans Finding Out Jose Alvarado Not Fooling Around
- Zion Williamson Draws Inspiration From The Notorious B.I.G.
- Willy Hernangomez Has Earned A Shot At A Bigger Role
