New Orleans is still in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race. A monumental Monday win made sure that was the case.
The Pelicans started quickly, briefly fell behind the Grizzlies in the second half, but pulled away in the fourth quarter for some breathing room, behind the scoring exploits of Zion Williamson at the rim and Brandon Ingram jumpers. New Orleans capped a 3-0 sweep of Memphis in the head-to-head season series, slicing its deficit behind the Southwest Division rival to just 2.5 games.
Combined with Sunday losses by teams like Portland and Sacramento, the Pelicans are suddenly in much better position standings-wise than they were 48 hours ago, following a one-sided defeat to the Clippers. The pack of teams competing for a spot in the 8/9 play-in round were also awaiting the outcome of Monday’s game between ninth-place San Antonio and Philadelphia.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Ingram drained a deep two-point jumper, then deflected a pass intended for Ja Morant on the other end of the floor, giving New Orleans possession with a nine-point lead and less than a minute to play.
The Pelicans held a five-point lead after three quarters, then won the final stanza by a 30-25 margin. Ingram drained a pair of three-pointers in the fourth, while Williamson dropped in two layups and got to the foul line six times, to help seal the victory.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Josh Hart can always be counted on by New Orleans to provide energy off the bench and scrappiness, whether it’s going after a loose ball or a rebound in the paint. On Monday, he also delivered some vital offensive punch, scoring all of his points in the final three quarters. Hart finished with 15 points, including draining a pair of key three-pointers in the third period.
"It’s kind of tough to take him out," Alvin Gentry said of Hart, paying the reserve one of the bigger compliments a coach can give. "We probably play him more consecutive minutes than anyone because when he’s on the floor there’s a lot of good things that can happen. He’s a really good rebounding guard. He’s pretty doggone good when we’re pushing the basketball and he has it in his hands, of getting it to the basket and either getting a layup or drawing a foul. I would say that Josh was one of the big heroes for us."
BY THE NUMBERS
25: Williamson total minutes, up from averaging 14.5 in the previous two games. Williamson: “It felt great to (play a big chunk of the fourth quarter). I was happy my team and the training staff trusted me to be able to close the game out.”
5/21: Morant shooting from the field, a testament to the type of defense Jrue Holiday has played against the No. 2 overall draft pick during the Pelicans’ 3-0 head-to-head sweep of the Grizzlies.
12/43: Memphis three-point shooting, a very costly area for the Grizzlies. Excluding Grayson Allen’s superb 5/6 outing off the bench, Memphis went 7/37, which is under 20 percent.
24/39: New Orleans foul shooting, which helped keep it a closer game in the second half than it otherwise may have been. The Pelicans are No. 29 in free-throw percentage this season of 30 clubs, but the oddest part of Monday’s struggles was that excellent foul shooters Ingram and JJ Redick combined to miss six times.