During four matchups with the Western Conference-leading Lakers this season, New Orleans had chances to win in virtually all of them. The Pelicans would love to earn at least four more shots at Los Angeles starting in mid-April, but for now, they’ll have to look back at what-if scenarios when they analyze the Lakers’ 4-0 sweep of the season series.
New Orleans led 95-93 through three quarters Sunday and was within a possession deep into the fourth quarter, but as has been the case in the other LA-NOLA meetings, the Lakers outplayed the Pelicans in crunch time.
“There are a lot of things we’ve got to try to do better,” fifth-year head coach Alvin Gentry said of the Pelicans needing to improve execution on both ends of the floor against an elite opponent. “(But the Lakers) are not who we’re chasing right now. We’ve got other things on our mind. They’re the measuring stick in the West right now, obviously.
“I don’t think we’re that extremely far away from being able to compete at that level, but we’ve got a lot of young guys and we’ve got a lot of things we’ve got to learn. To me, the No. 1 thing is you have to compete – and we did that tonight – and we’ve got to get better at some of the execution things to have a chance to beat that team.”
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
JaVale McGee dropped in a putback score to give Los Angeles an eight-point lead with 42 seconds remaining, giving the visitors a three-possession advantage. The Pelicans had chances a few minutes earlier to either tie or take the lead, but couldn’t convert on some vital jumpers.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Give Los Angeles’ top-five defense credit, because none of the Pelicans’ top performers had a flawless offensive night, either shooting poorly or turning the ball over frequently. Zion Williamson rolled to a career-high 35 points on 12/16 shooting from the field, while also going an excellent 11/13 at the foul line. He also grabbed seven rebounds, with the one blemish being his six turnovers, often in the midst of some heavy traffic around the paint.
BY THE NUMBERS
1: New Orleans first-quarter turnover. However, the Pelicans committed 15 in the final three periods. Perhaps not coincidentally, they led 33-29 after the first quarter.
21.2: Pelicans three-point shooting percentage, their third-worst rate of the season. It was the third straight time L.A. held New Orleans under 30 percent from beyond the arc.
27-9: New Orleans edge in free throws made, but the Lakers held a 13-7 advantage in three-pointers made, or a margin of 39-21 points-wise.
#WEEKLYREVIEW
Brandon Ingram was a regular recipient of the Player of the Week vote from fans early in 2019-20, but in recent weeks the honor has gone to either Zion Williamson or JJ Redick (when Ingram was injured). Ingram started this week quickly by averaging 31.5 points in the first two games (prior to having a rough night in the second matchup Sunday vs. his former team), resulting in him picking up over half of the votes, with Williamson next in line at roughly 35 percent.
Recent winners
Week 13: Brandon Ingram
Week 14-15: Zion Williamson
Week 16: JJ Redick
Week 17&18: Zion Williamson
