5 Games Left, 5 Games Pelicans Let Slip Away

The New Orleans Pelicans would not be under NBA Play-In Tournament pressure if they'd been more focused during these five games.

Author:
Chris Dodson
Mar 31, 2023 5:31 PM EDT

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New Orleans Pelicans

NEW ORLEANS- Coach Willie Green has explained several times this season how the New Orleans Pelicans are breaking the year down into 10-game segments. It's been another injury-plagued season but Brandon Ingram has led the locker room through tough times and back up to 8th in the Western Conference standings, going 7-3 these past few weeks to get within 2.5 games of the fourth-seeded Phoenix Suns with five to play.

The Pelicans are two games behind the LA Clippers (5th) and within one game of the Golden State Warriors (6th). The tiebreaker with the Minnesota Timberwolves (7th) could come down to that regular-season finale. However, there are five games this locker room will look back on with a bit of regret should the play-in scenarios not fall in their favor.

It should be noted before getting to the list: The 99-98 home loss to the Denver Nuggets is all but forgiven due to the March 30, 2023 win in Denver. It does not matter that Nikola Jokic played in the Smoothie King Center but sat more recently. The late-season pressure was on and the Pelicans responded with their 6th win in 7 games. That 7th game though...

1: October 23, 2022 vs. Utah Jazz

These losses cannot all be easily blamed on injuries to Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. The All-Star duo was in fine form in the home opener against the Utah Jazz. The Pelicans dropped a one-point overtime heartbreaker thanks to a last-second Kelly Olynyk finger roll.

The festive Smoothie King Center had the party spoiled in a few ways during that game. Williamson left early with a hip contusion, falling hard to the court after his shot was blocked by Jordan Clarkson.

Honorable Mention: The Jazz also took a 132-129 overtime win in Utah on December 15, two nights after a 121-100 blowout win to take the season series. Ingram was out with a toe injury but New Orleans squandered a 13-point lead in the second half of the overtime loss. Williamson and McCollum combined for 59 points.

The city will never get the Jazz name back. Just get two of three games against the lottery-bound Jazz and this season is a completely different story for New Orleans.

2: November 2, 2022 @ Los Angeles Lakers

Overtime losses always hurt. Any loss to the Lakers hurts even more. Nevermind that it was a road game. Forget about Anthony Davis getting 20 points and 16 rebounds. Sure Lebron James had 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists. Zion Williamson (27 points) and CJ McCollum (22 points) were beating the full-strength Lakers without Ingram.

All Dyson Daniels had to do was make those free throws. Daniels, who was 19 years old and playing his 7th regular season NBA game, was at the free throw line with his team up 3 points with 2 seconds remaining. It was a late Wednesday night West Coast tipoff. New Orleans could taste the victory almost as much as it could touch the weekend.

The pressure of L.A.'s Hollywood lights got to the rookie. Both free throws were missed. Matt Ryan hit the tying three-pointer at the buzzer. The Lakers celebrated a 120-117 victory five minutes later.

3: November 5, 2022 @ Atlanta Hawks

It may seem like this is a list heavy on road games but the Pelicans did pretty well protecting their home court when healthy. They were sitting tied for first place on December 30 for a reason. But injuries are a way of life and these close calls on the road would have been a great cushion for the yet-to-come 10-game losing streak.

This loss to the Hawks differs from the top two picks because the Pelicans fought back from several double-digit deficits. Willie Green's squad almost snatched an unexpected victory in Atlanta whereas the others were wins that slipped away.

Williamson (27 points) put the Pelicans up 109-107 with 58 seconds remaining. However, the Hawks snatched 2 offensive rebounds to keep hope alive and Trae Young eventually converted a chance.

Ingram (16 points, 7/23 shooting) used the next two possessions and missed both of the tough, contested, fadeaway shots from deep. A Clint Capela dunk sealed the seal with 2 minutes left in overtime.

4: March 17, 2023 @ Houston Rockets

The Pelicans got in some early practices after the NBA All-Star break but still came out with a 3-8 record. The 8th loss was the most unforgivable.

Knowing the margins for error were all but gone in the playoff race, the Pelicans went out and lost to the worst team in the Western Conference. It took a last-second prayer, but the game should have never been that close to begin with and the squad admitted as much after the game. They've since gotten focused, winning 6 of the next 7 and bringing us up to date.

Mar 28, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; New Orleans Pelicans small forward Brandon Ingram (14) is held back referee Kevin Cutler (34) and Pelicans staff during the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

5: March 28, 2023 @ Golden State Warriors

The be the champs you've got to beat the champs. The Pelicans had the Warriors on the rope but could not deliver the knockout punch.

In fact, they had no response to Draymond Green's antics or Steve Kerr's adjustments. Once Steph Curry and Klay Thompson got into gear in the later rounds, the Pelicans got pounded like a gatekeeping tomato can going against an all-time great.

Look, it happens. Steph and Klay have been playing like this for almost a decade. Still, it hurts to drop a 20-point lead when it could catapult the team into contention for the 4th seed instead of falling to the 10th spot for a night.

It was a great playoff atmosphere in the Chase Center once the intensity ramped up. These last few games have been a wake-up call for the coaching staff and those rookies not yet aware of how close we are to the real thing.

New Orleans needs more pressure-packed challenges to test this current core. Will these five losses come back to haunt the team in a play-in elimination game or will the possible return of Zion Williamson buoy this locker room long enough to make an extended postseason run?