After going down by as many as 17 points in the first half, the Pelicans were able to turn it around and beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-99. It is the 3rd win in 4 games for the Pels, and a good start to their 7-game home stand if they hope to get back in the playoff picture.
Anthony Davis had a big night, reminding the league that Karl Anthony Towns has some catching up to do before being considered the next big big-man: Davis put in a game-high 35 points (13/22 from the field, 8/10 from the line). Towns did have a nice night himself, with 20pts and 13rebs, his 20th double-double of the season. It was a fun matchup to watch, but the story tonight for the Pels, again, is the play of Jrue Holiday. He continues to look more and more like his All-star self: 19pts (50% shooting), 9asts, 1tov, no fouls in 27minutes.
The Pelicans gave up 38 points in the 1st Quarter, but 22 first-half points from Anthony Davis kept them in the game. The Pels didn’t have an issue scoring, 25 in the 1st, 26 in the 2nd, 31 in the 3rd, and 32 in the 4th, but to begin the game Minnesota got anything they wanted.
What really turned it around was just more effort and focus on the defensive end, and it really showed. After scoring 38 in the 1st, the Timberwolves only managed 22, 15(!!!), and 24 in the last 3 quarters. The 1st and 3rd quarters were night and day. Guys were getting stuck in, diving on the floor, challenging shots, and fighting on defensive possessions for a change. The play of the game was at the end of the 3rd Q. Holiday drained a midrange shot with under 3 seconds left, and milliseconds later Dante Cunningham stole the inbounds pass and beat the buzzer with a layup to give the Pels their largest lead of the game to that point. Cunningham finished with 11 points on 6 shots, one of his better offensive outings.
But in typical Pelicans fashion, even when they win they lose. Eric Gordon fractured a finger in his right hand, there is no timetable for his return. The injury could be worse, but the timing couldn’t be.
Some notes on the game:
Tyreke Evans only recorded 21 minutes tonight. Whether that was planned (as he is coming off an injury) or not is up in the air, but he was conspicuously absent the 2nd half. He didn’t play the entire 4th. Evans shot over 50% and dished out 5 assists, but was out of sync in his limited minutes, logging 4 of the Pels 15 turnovers.
Ryan Anderson didn’t make a shot until the 4th quarter. He finished with 7 points, going 1/6 from the field. At the end of the 1st half, Kevin Garnett, being the crafty vet he is, was able to draw a foul on Anderson while simultaneously slapping him in the face. The two had been pretty chippy up until then but it is safe to say Garnett will “win” most of those exchanges.
Here’s the vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj3_q9nlhWo&feature=youtu.be
Before the game I said the Pels would have to do a good job keeping the Timberwolves off the line. Well they shot 31FTs and made 24….but the Pels managed to make 20 of their own. I also pointed out they would need to bounce back from a poor 3pt-shooting night against Memphis and they certainly succeeded (10 of 23 from deep). Dante Cunningham was a big reason, as he drained 3/4, and Gordon hit 3 of his as well.
All in all a good win for the Pels despite the poor start. Haven’t been able to say that too often this season. Next up for the Pels the Detroit Pistons come to town Thursday night. Flock Up!
7 responses to “Pelicans Remind Everyone It Isn’t How You Start but How You Finish”
Last night, for the first time at a Pelicans home game (the
halfway point of his inaugural season), audible boos could be heard from some
fans during pre-game introductions when the PA Announcer called out the name of
Head Coach Alvin Gentry. This surprising development gives us an opportunity to highlight some of the legitimate
questions that have already been raised about Coach Gentry: Does his up tempo offense work in the absence
of a Hall of Fame point guard such as Steve Nash, Chris Paul and Steph
Curry? Does his fast pace dictate the
need after a shot on offense for his players to get back too quickly on defense
and thus sacrifice some decent opportunities for offensive rebounds? Is his strength as an assistant NBA coach? Can he relate to and motivate today’s young NBA
players? Is he too quick to point the
finger at his players (especially when he focuses on intangibles
such as “effort”) rather than accept some of the blame himself? At the end of close games, can he make a good
play call coming out of a timeout? It
may be too early to answer any of these questions, but, 1/8th of the
way through his Pelicans contract, one thing has become clear: He hasn’t exactly endeared himself to his New
Orleans fanbase.
Come On Pelican
And I still ask why is there article about this subject at BSS?
Let me know how often you want the answer repeate;, I’ll paste it that many times here. You want criticism, you get it, though maybe no ome feels their time is worth a full article on the coaches when at least some feel there are confounding issues that are more clear. You want bashing, go somewhere where emotion and agendas rule the day.
Posit all the theories you want as to why you don’t get such an article and stop reading if you want to question people’s integrity. Not sure why you want an article anyway: your mind is made up.
I got zero ackowledgement from you (when I last checked) in my article criticizing Gentry, by the way.
[…] enough for even a (relatively) full-strength version of New Orleans; in that context, as Graham McQueen wrote at Pelicans blog Bourbon Street Shots, “[Gordon’s] injury could be worse, but the timing couldn’t […]
Jason Calmes
I don’t think asking my question is emotional, nor do I think criticism of Gentry in an article is the same as an article that solely evaluates Gentry.
And all Come On Pelican did in the post I liked was ask questions. You seem to equate asking questions with “bashing” and a mind “made up”. That is your erroneous conclusion.
Finally, I don’t believe having other issues in play prevents an article evaluating the coach. There are always other issues in play.
Why not make Gentry’s time so far as head coach a BSS roundtable discussion question?
I made no such equation.
I have criticized Gentry (positively and negatively). If that is not good enough, not sure I can help you until I see fit to do so, which will likely happen when I have enough data I can trust.
Overall, again, he’s had say on ZERO new pieces, and the team had little chance to bring in difference-makers this Summer. So, I’m not even really judging much about him.
He seems to be more straightforward than Monty about his feelings. Not sure if that is good or bad.
I heard the other day that up to this point, the Pelicans have had the toughest strength of schedule of any team in the NBA. I think the Pelicans can get back in the playoff picture if they buckle down during this upcoming 10 games. Not sure how Gordon’s absence will affect them. More PT for Cole will be interesting.
Let’s see how this plays out. . .