Alvin Gentry may someday look back fondly at Friday’s win, as the 500th of his NBA head coaching career. He and his team would also love to be able to remember it as the game that vaulted the Pelicans into a serious push for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference.
For the second time in 11 days, the Pelicans built a huge lead over Memphis and prevailed, this time not even letting the Grizzlies make a fourth-quarter push, as was the case in a Martin Luther King Day matchup. Gentry became the 33rd coach in NBA history to notch 500 career victories, as New Orleans breezed to a one-sided victory over eighth-place Memphis. The outcome reduced the Pelicans’ deficit behind the Grizzlies to four games, with two more head-to-head meetings coming in late March.
The 139 points were a season high for New Orleans, topping the 138 scored in a recent overtime home win over Utah.
In just the fifth game the Pelicans have had their projected starting lineup together all season, they compiled one of their most complete performances. New Orleans has won 13 of its last 19 games, after starting the season 7-23.
“Obviously if we would’ve been healthy throughout, we could’ve come to this point a lot quicker,” Gentry said. “We just have to continue to do our part, and then whatever happens from there, happens from there. We’re not going to look at standings. We’re just going to try to make sure we’re a better team every day.”
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Zion Williamson dropped in two free throws to give New Orleans a 26-point lead with eight-plus minutes remaining. The Pelicans gained control in the third quarter by piling up 44 points, taking a 110-86 edge. The hosts scored at least 30 points in every period.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
The honor could’ve gone to any of a handful of Pelicans, but Williamson set an early tone of dominance around the basket and in the paint, by overpowering or out-quicking Memphis’ short-handed frontcourt (Grizzlies leading scorer Jaren Jackson was out due to a one-game suspension). Williamson was a frequent recipient of alley oop passes that led to slams by the rookie, part of how he finished 9/15 from the field and tallied a team-best 24 points. He added six rebounds in his 29 minutes.
BY THE NUMBERS
20: New Orleans points in the paint, out of its first 20 points total in Friday’s game. With NBA teams increasingly relying on three-point shooting, that’s an extreme rarity. The hosts totaled 68 points in the paint.
57-34: New Orleans rebounding advantage, led by 11 from Josh Hart, including many typically scrappy boards.
51: Pelicans bench points, topped by 16 by JJ Redick. Three other reserves cracked double digits in points.
#FANFRIDAY
It says a lot about how interesting New Orleans’ upcoming schedule is that in a poll that included three options, a national TV game against the NBA’s best team – which also sports the reigning league MVP – finished third. When asked the question “which of the next three New Orleans games are you most looking forward to?” fans voted overwhelmingly (61 percent) for Friday’s matchup with Memphis, which featured the top two picks in the NBA draft. Runner-up was Sunday’s ABC game in Houston (22 percent), followed by Tuesday on TNT against league-best Milwaukee and Giannis Antetokounmpo (17 percent). As @darkhornet put it, Grizzlies-Pelicans was had the “biggest playoff ramifications” of the trio. Meanwhile, @Cbk53470379 picked Houston because “It’s time to beat some really good teams.”
