Pelicans Late Rally Falls Short in Toronto
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Brandon Ingram did his best to will the New Orleans Pelicans to victory, but it wasn't enough, as Toronto defeated New Orleans 115-110. Ingram scored a game-high 36 points, however, the Raptor's balanced attack was too much for the Pelicans to overcome.
The game started sluggish for both teams as Toronto led 23-19 after the first quarter, but each team committed four turnovers in the quarter.
New Orleans shot 33% from the field, including 25% from three-point range. Ingram scored six points in the quarter, but CJ McCollum would go scoreless.
McCollum would turns things around in the second quarter scoring 8 points. Offensively, the Pelicans did themselves no favors by committing five turnovers. Toronto leads the NBA in points off turnovers, and they feasted on the New Orleans' mistakes. The Raptors scored 21 points off of New Orleans turnovers on the evening.
Toronto extended their 9-point halftime lead to 15 thanks to a 38-point third quarter. Brandon Ingram tried to keep the Pelicans close with 12 points in the quarter.
The Raptors would get major contributions from their entire starting five as they scored at least 12 points in the game.
Feb 23, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) drives to the net against Toronto Raptors forward O.G. Anunoby (3) during the second half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
A Pelicans rally in the fourth quarter was too little, too late. Down 11 points with less than 3 minutes to go, New Orleans cut the Raptors lead down to 2 points before Gary Trent, Jr knocked down a 3-pointer to extend the Raptors lead to 5.
The loss dropped the Pelicans to .500 on the season in a tight playoff race in the Western Conference.
Toronto had a decided advantage outscoring New Orleans 62-42 in points in the paint. Jakob Poeltl had a career night for the Raptors, scoring 21 points and grabbing 18 rebounds. Pascal Siakam led the Raptors pouring in 26 points.
Aside from Ingram, McCollum scored 23 points for New Orleans. However, no other Pelicans player scored more than 12 points in the loss that dropped them to 10-20 on the road and 8th place in the West.
Next, the Pelicans will travel to New York to take on the Knicks on Saturday, Feb. 25, then return home on Monday, Feb. 27 to battle the Orlando Magic.
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