LOUISVILLE – It was understandably billed by many in Kentucky as the Russ Smith Homecoming Game, and the New Orleans rookie didn’t disappoint, packing a myriad of highlights and action into his NBA debut Saturday at his former college arena. Smith finished with 12 points, three rebounds and two steals, playing exclusively in the second half. The amiable 6-foot local favorite drew a standing ovation when he entered the lineup, then proceeded to make a quick imprint on the exhibition game.
For the Pelicans from a bigger-picture standpoint, however, there were many other noteworthy individual developments, particularly for a team coming off an injury-ravaged season and trying to incorporate several new faces:
- In his first NBA game action since his scary Jan. 3 injury at Boston, Ryan Anderson got on a roll from three-point range, draining three three-pointers among his 12 second-quarter points.
- Jrue Holiday played for the first time since Jan. 8, but had a much quieter night than Anderson, going scoreless with two rebounds, two fouls and a turnover in 10 minutes. Holiday said recently he’s still working toward being 100 percent healthy.
- Newcomer Jimmer Fredette came off the bench to play well in his first New Orleans game, knocking down a string of shots. Fredette scored nine points in the fourth quarter, to lead the subs with 17.
- Reserve forward Luke Babbitt joined Anderson and Fredette in some prolific gunning from beyond the arc, scoring all of his 15 points on five three-pointers.
After New Orleans’ starting group played only the first quarter together, five different Pelicans reserves reached double digits in scoring, headed by Fredette’s 17. Smith, Anderson and Austin Rivers deposited 12 points apiece in a balanced, energized preseason victory.
“I liked the way we worked tonight,” Pelicans Coach Monty Williams said. “Even when we didn’t execute properly, we competed so hard it looked like we knew what we were doing, especially when we started putting in reserves and watching those guys compete, swarm to the ball, helping each other out, running off of misses (by Miami).”
“We shared the ball pretty well,” Fredette said of New Orleans’ unselfish offensive attack. “We had the ball hopping. I think that’s why we got good, open shots.”
Pelicans All-Star forward Anthony Davis didn’t play after the first quarter, but had five points and three blocks in his brief stint. He spent the rest of Saturday’s game cheering for his teammates, repeatedly standing up when a New Orleans player made a three-pointer. The Pelicans finished 14-for-32 from the arc.
“It was fun watching them go out there and playing to the best of their abilities,” Davis said. “Luke hitting threes, Darius (Miller), Russ, Jimmer. It was all fun to watch.”
Smith did not play until the third quarter, causing the packed house to begin chanting “We want Russ!” The Yum! Center erupted with cheers with the point guard was inserted into the lineup in the third quarter. Smith indicated that he was slightly embarrassed by the attention, not wanting to take away from what was happening in the game.
“I kind of tried to hide my head a little bit on the bench,” Smith said of the chant. “I didn’t want everybody looking at me, in the ‘put the kid in the game’ phase. I was fine (though). It was great. This was great that I got a chance to start (my NBA career) here.”