LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 06: Lonzo Ball #2 of the New Orleans Pelicans works the floor ... [+]
The New Orleans Pelicans had a rough 0-2 start to the Orlando seeding game schedule but still controlled their fate after a win over the Memphis Grizzlies in the third game. With Memphis suffering further losses through injury, New Orleans was in prime position to jump into the eighth position in the standings. Instead, the Pelicans played Zion Williamson only 22 minutes and posted perhaps their worst loss of the season, including that blowout versus the LA Clippers in the second seeding game.
There will be plenty of blame to go around after falling to the Sacramento Kings in a 140-125 shootout. While Alvin Gentry defended his players’ effort in the postgame press conference when it was suggested effort was lacking, he could not defend the execution on that end of the court. New Orleans was lackadaisical in their weak side rotations and either too reckless or too slow in their recovery to pressure shooters.
Gentry gave Sacramento credit but admitted New Orleans could have done more to disrupt the shooting rhythm. “They shot the ball extremely well. We were never into them though. That was the tough thing, that we never really got into them. If you give up basically a 50-point quarter, your defense has to adjust and do something. I thought we played great defense in the second quarter and getting ourselves back in the game but then the third quarter comes around. We just, we did not really guard, did not get into the ball. They drove the ball to the basket...We have to be much more active defensively.”
Sacramento shot 82% from the field, 87% from three-point range, and scored 49 points in the first quarter. Bogdan Bogdanović hit six of his nine shots from beyond the arc. The Pelicans were able to stay within striking distance, shooting 73% from the field and 71% from deep in scoring 39 first-quarter points. However, New Orleans lacked urgency throughout the game and that characteristic of this roster seemingly comes from the top down.
David Griffin can preach patience all he wants but once there are games to be played and wins are on the line, fans want more than entertainment. This roster was hyped during training camp as being too good to resign itself to a developmental year. Now a season full of playoff-caliber expectations is on the brink in the Orlando bubble environment and the Pelicans have no one to blame but themselves.
The Pelicans had a scheduling advantage entering the game, playing the Kings twice in the last six games. In a very winnable game to possibly save their season and definitely kill Sacramento’s chances, Frank Jackson had the same minutes allotment (22) as Zion Williamson and Josh Hart. Gentry was still running out fresh-off-the-bench players while the Kings had five players in double digits minutes. Sacramento was playing like their season was at stake while the Pelicans were still stretching and sorting the rotation for the day.
New Orleans only had three players log more than 23 minutes: Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Jrue Holiday. Ingram and Holiday have both earned their reputations and, along with minutes-restricted Zion Williamson, almost pulled the Pelicans close enough to steal a victory only to see that work undone as soon as they took a rest. Lonzo Ball had a rougher afternoon.
Ball will be compared to De’Aaron Fox for several reasons, one of the biggest being Ball wants a contract on the same level as Fox. Ball was decent in the scrimmages and assertive in the first three seeding games but having little success. He seemed to defer a bit more to start the Sacramento game, attempting only three shots in the first half. He made two shots but even though he finished with 12 assists, Ball still failed to set the table on offense by attacking the rim constantly and consistently. He never drew a foul leading to a free throw. He made only one of his four three-point attempts and finished -15 on the night.
In short, Ball (9 points, 12 assists) was outplayed by Fox (30 points, 10 assists, +14) on both ends of the court and it showed up directly on the scoreboard. All of the little effort plays that a winning team can accumulate were made by Sacramento. New Orleans committed twice as many turnovers as the Kings. New Orleans allowed Alex Len to rebound his own missed free throw and Richaun Holmes the space to hit midrange set shots. In between those swing plays that determine a winner, Brandon Ingram had an airball. New Orleans was dialed in for most of the game, but docile in the moments that mattered.
These Orlando seeding games are the type of evaluation settings that reveals this team’s true level of inexperience. The Pelicans have been giving up double-digit leads all season, as they did against the Utah Jazz. This fast-paced offense is riddled with ill-advised jump passes from Jrue Holiday and Zion Williamson. The team plays into mistakes instead of limiting turnovers. When both teams are playing can’t-miss basketball, the Pelicans cannot give the opposition extra attempts. This is especially true since New Orleans fails to get to the line or make teams pay once situated at the charity stripe.
Gentry mainly stresses protection of the ball and pace but sometimes the team gets those two priorities out of order. While the Kings play with the 20th fastest pace in the NBA, the Pelicans did not slow down to keep the score close once they closed the gap. Twice New Orleans got the game within a couple of possession only for Gentry to send in the reserves, who played fast but with too much nervousness.
The players are to blame for the on-court production but Alvin Gentry puts them in those positions with certain directives. The New Orleans starting 5 had one of the best net ratings in the NBA but ran themselves out of the Sacramento game. Gentry trotted out a lineup with Nicolo Melli as the most accomplished rim protector and the Kings paraded through the paint to easy layups. It was an experimental lineup that did not work deployed at the wrong time.
The same could be said for the Brandon Ingram, Frank Jackson, Josh Hart, JJ Redick, and Jaxson Hayes lineup Gentry attempted as a small-ball counter-attack to Luke Walton’s rotations. The Kings forced the ball out of Ingram’s hands and the team was lacking in other options. It was back to the drawing board while the team’s backs were against the proverbial playoff elimination wall.
Jrue Holiday echoed Gentry’s feelings regarding the team’s performance. Holiday said in the postgame press conference, “I think they (Sacramento) came out blazing. I don’t think it was a lack of effort. I’ll have to back and watch it at some point to try and figure it out. They were knocking down shots and making good plays. They were making some tough shots at first. We stayed in it for a little bit but it got out of hand.”
The team will have to save the season coming off the worst two losses of the campaign. The New Orleans Pelicans have no games in hand and no margin for error. Without a quick turnaround win over the Washington Wizards on Friday, this is the last weekend of hope, contention, and actual games that matter towards the season’s standings for this edition of the team.
