Pelicans Cold Shooting From Deep Ends Their Season High Four-Game Winning Streak In Loss To The Cavs
New Orleans, LA - The Pelicans' four-game winning streak came to a crashing halt with a 116-95 defeat to the Clevland Cavaliers on Wednesday. New Orleans' cold shooting stalled their offense much of the evening, and the shorthanded Cavs got an impressive double-digit victory over the Pelicans. New Orleans was attempting to get their fifth straight win of the season, which would have been a season-high.
Cleveland welcomed back their All-Star forward Donovan Mitchell, who missed the last seven games with a knee injury. Mitchell scored the first six points for the Cavs, not showing any signs of rust in his return. New Orleans could not get on track inside against the No. 4 ranked Cavs defense. Cleveland is No. 2 in the league in opponent points in the paint, and the Pels struggled to score down there early. New Orleans scored ten paint points but were doubled up by the Cavs with 20. Zion Williamson led all scorers with ten points, but the five Pelicans turnovers in the quarter slowed down their offense.
Mar 13, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during warmups before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
The Cavaliers quickly built on their 30-22 lead after the first quarter, with some hot outside shooting from beyond the arc. Cleveland made seven three-point shots and extended their lead to 18 points midway through the quarter. Trey Murphy III came in and changed the Pelicans fortune with seven points in the quarter, and the Pelicans buckled down late defensively to get the Cavs lead until single digits before halftime. Williamson led all scorers with 16 points, but the Cavs led 53-45 at the half.
New Orleans made a change coming out of halftime with the substitution of Larry Nance, Jr. for Jonas Valanciunas. The smaller lineup caused an issue for the Pelicans by having Herb Jones guard the bigger Jarrett Allen at times. The move backfired as Jones picked up his fourth foul with five minutes left in the quarter. Jones sat the remainder of the quarter, and the Cavs took advantage. Cleveland finished the quarter on a 20-4 to close the quarter, leading with a commanding 19-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The New Orleans shooting woes continued all the second half. At one point, the Cavs were +54 in three-point scoring advantage over the Pelicans. New Orleans hit two late three-pointers to avoid a franchise low in made threes. Still, their four made three-pointers were a season-low. Cleveland's ball movement confused the Peld defense for much of the night. The Cavs finished with 38 assists, compared to the Pels's 22 on the night. Zion Williamson led all scorers with 33 points, while the Cavs balanced scoring saw six players in double-figures.
New Orleans must quickly regroup as they face the team right above them in the standings, the Los Angeles Clippers. That matchup on Friday may determine the fourth seed in the Western Conference come playoff time. The Pelicans end their home stand on Saturday with a game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
