Pelicans Seek A Summer League Winning Streak Against Suns

New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Pelicans' Summer League coach Casey Hill thought the team finally started playing Pelicans basketball on Sunday. The result? New Orleans defeated the Golden State Warriors 94-86 to earn their first victory.

"There are still things we can improve upon," Hill told reporters after the game. "That third quarter was an indication of how we want to play. We got there finally, and we want to keep it there the rest of Summer League."

The Pelicans' defensive effort in the second half propelled the team to victory. New Orleans outscored the Warriors 50-35 in the second half. They held Golden State to under 20 points in each quarter.

Offensively the Pelicans cut their turnovers in half from the opening game, allowing them to be more productive on offense. Dereon Seabron had a breakout game, scoring 18 of his 25 points in the second half. Dyson Daniels nearly notched a triple-double with 17 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists.

Dyson DISH. Seabron FINISH.

HOOPIN' pic.twitter.com/CzFMYiDEIM
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) July 10, 2023

New Orleans (1-1) will take on a Phoenix Suns (1-1) team with the same Summer League record. On Monday, Phoenix defeated the Miami Heat 73-70 for their first victory. Both teams head into Tuesday's matchup struggling to shoot from the three-point line. New Orleans shot 18% in their previous game, while the Suns were at 15%.

The Suns have not looked good on offense averaging the second-fewest points (73.5) of all 30 teams. Phoenix has yet to hit more than four three-point shots in a game and is shooting just 54% from the free-throw line.

Tuesday's game is pivotal in the standings for each team.

The teams are among 16 squads with a 1-1 record, with six teams who are undefeated in Summer League play. Phoenix has struggled to score, so the Pelicans can't allow them to get comfortable transition buckets.

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