The Pelicans take down the Jazz

By:
Published: December 16, 2015

Well, I suppose my pessimism in the preview paid off as the Pelicans defeated the Jazz for their second road win of the season. While it wasn’t a perfect game for the Pelicans, they did a lot of things right. Look, it was only our 7th win of the season. It is worth celebrating.

Here are some of my thoughts on the game.

Observations

  • Ryan Anderson – The game ball goes to Ryan Anderson, and it wasn’t even close. Usually, his big games come from behind the arch. Tonight, it came from the free throw line. This year he has averaged 3.3 attempts from the free throw line. He went 13 for 13 against the Jazz. More importantly, they seemed to come at the right time. Ryno got to the line when the Jazz were breaking away and/or when our offense just need a bucket.
  • Tyreke Evans – I almost always leave Pelicans games with mixed feelings about Tyreke. This one was no exception. He had a good stretch in the fourth, but he mainly struggled tonight.  Still, at times, I thought he made an effort to play with the system. Other times, I thought he went back to his old ways.
  • Rebounding – As mentioned in the preview, in the last meeting between these two teams, the Jazz managed 12 offensive rebounds, which is around their season average. Tonight, they only grabbed 5 offensive boards to the Pelicans 8. Limiting second chance points was an important part of tonight’s game.
  • 3 Point Shooting – 3 point shooting also went in the Pelicans’ favor tonight. In the last meeting, the Pelicans went 5-17 from deep. That improved to 10-21 tonight.
  • The Jazz Offense – The Jazz got some good looks from the corner 3 tonight, but they really worked for them. That is, the Pelicans forced them to make a difficult pass, and they made it. On the other hand, the Pelicans should have been sharper on their rotations, but they held the Jazz to 94 points. Let’s not complain too much.
  • Pelicans Defense – On that note, the Pelicans defense came in giving up 108.3 points per game. Again, they limited the Jazz to 94. Now, the Jazz are by no means an offensive juggernaut, but that is bit below their season average. There were moments where the defense looked really bad, but NBA games are about the long run. Ultimately, the Pelicans did what they needed to.
  •  Gordon Hayward – He is a good player, and I see why he’s a tough match up for guys. He’s pretty savvy at doing everything he can to get calls to go in his favor. You can certainly complain that it isn’t fair, but he works for it. You can’t fault him for being a smart player.
  • Anthony Davis – AD was good but not great tonight. Luckily, that was enough for the Pels, considering the game Ryno had. I’ve notice this for a couple of games, and it is board line hot take-ish. But I think AD maybe the only true willing passer on this team. I’ve noticed him get frustrated with the team’s ball movement and his touches at times, but even in those cases, he rarely forces an okay shot when a good one is open. I’m not saying he’s a good passer. In fact, I think he needs to improve a lot in that department, especially out of double teams. I’m just saying that my eyes tell me that he has a passer’s mentality. Of course, the data may prove me wrong.

There’s more to talk about, but that’s all for me tonight folks! The Pelicans play again on Friday against the Suns. We will see you then!

3 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.