Pistons Stall Out, Pelicans Win Preseason Home Opener
The Zion Williamson-led New Orleans Pelicans took a while to get out of second gear in their preseason home opener. The Detroit Pistons led 20-11 midway through the first quarter but the home team held tough for a 107-101 win even though Willie Green was again working with a shortened bench. CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, and Herb Jones were all listed on the injury report and watched the game from the bench but there are no worries about them missing any regular season action.
Oct 7, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes (10) steals the ball from Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart (28) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Williamson struggled early, missing several layups in traffic though claims for a few fouls were justified. Zion eventually scored scored his first bucket at the 8 minute mark after missing his first three shots. Two early first-quarter fouls kept him honest on the defensive end the rest of the half.
On the other hand, fouls on Williamson led to the Pelicans being in the Bonus at the 4:28 mark of the first quarter. It was one positive sign that things are working as expected early this season. He finished with 13 points in just 20 minutes.
Williamson and Jonas Valanciunas were the only two starters to log minutes. Trey Murphy III, Devonte' Graham, and Naji Marshall earned the starting nods with their energy in practice this week. Garrett Temple and Dyson Daniels held Jose Alvarado lead the second unit. As a reserve, 2022 8th overall pick has done well in his first two games as a rookie.
Daniels had 6 points, 5 assists, and 7 rebounds in 30 minutes. He missed 11 of his 14 shots but the rest of his game in translating well to the NBA.
Green said of Daniels, "We were all excited about what we saw in Chicago. It just seemed like as the game progressed, he got better and better. That’s a credit to the work that he’s putting in. He’s watching guys ahead of him. He’s watching C.J. (McCollum), Brandon (Ingram), and Zion (Williamson). He’s just watching the work that these guys are putting in, and he’s doing the same thing. It looks like it’s paying off. He has room to grow, but we’re definitely excited about what we think he will be able to do.”
Jose Alvarado was the most exciting player of the night. The Georgia Tech alum had 24 points and 5 rebounds in 28 minutes. The Pelicans do not win without his spark off the bench. The Pistons just could not stop Alvarado from getting to the paint and setting up looks for everyone.
New Orleans will travel to San Antonio (10/9) and Miami (10/12) before hosting the Atlanta Hawks in a Birmingham 'home' game. That will be the last warm-up exhibition before things get serious and count for the standings on October 19 when the Pelicans travel to face the Brooklyn Nets.
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