LAS VEGAS – Bidding to keep its unbeaten record intact, New Orleans faced its most difficult test in Nevada so far Monday, but eventually came up with a third straight victory. The Pelicans (3-0) earned a first-round bye in the upcoming NBA Summer League tournament, meaning they won’t play again until Thursday’s Round of 16.
New Orleans raced to an 8-0 lead and put Brooklyn (1-1) on its heels by throwing down a fast-break dunk just three seconds into the game, but the Nets regained their footing behind some hot shooting. The Pelicans were in jeopardy of sustaining their first defeat entering crunch time, but took over the game late.
“Overall we played a pretty good game,” Pelicans summer head coach Darren Erman said. “A very gritty game.”
New Orleans won 2.5 of the four quarters, giving it 7.5 quarters won, which will serve as the first tiebreaker between the teams that finish 3-0. As of 6:30 p.m. Central time Monday, the Pelicans were the only 3-0 squad in the 24-team circuit, but 2-0 Toronto was scheduled to face 2-0 Houston later Monday, among other possible 3-0 clubs.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
New Orleans collected a defensive rebound off a Brooklyn wing three-point attempt, then dribbled out the final few seconds to seal a win.
TURNING POINT
New Orleans trailed 77-72 midway through the fourth quarter but went on an 11-2 run to go up 83-79 at 2:00. Bryce Dejean-Jones made a string of big plays, including a corner three-pointer that gave NOLA its four-point edge.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Larry Drew II produced one of the best passing games in Vegas you’ll see, finishing one assist shy of the league’s all-time single-game record (set by Marcus Williams). Drew, the son of former NBA head coach and point guard Larry Drew, handed out 16 assists, flashing the floor vision and anticipation of a player who made a cameo in the regular season for Philadelphia in 2014-15. Dejean-Jones also was deserving of star of the game status, finishing with 26 points, including 16 in the second half. The Iowa State product was great across the board offensively, going 8-for-12 from the field, 4-for-7 from three-point range and 6-for-7 on free throws. Seth Curry (20 points), Khem Birch (13 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks) and Victor Rudd (12 points, nine rebounds) also stood out for the winners.
ONLY IN SUMMER LEAGUE
Monday was probably the largest crowd that has ever attended a New Orleans summer league game. By game’s end, the lower bowl at the Thomas & Mack Center – which hosted the 2007 NBA All-Star Game and is home to UNLV men's hoops – was at least three-fourths full. A chunk of the audience had arrived in part to watch the next game that featured the ultra-popular Golden State Warriors and Sacramento. Two spectators were very familiar faces to New Orleans fans: Quincy Pondexter and Eric Gordon attended the game to support the summer Pelicans.
#TAKEFLIGHT QUESTION OF THE GAME
What is your impression of the Alvin Gentry offense the Pelicans have implemented in summer league?
From @pmoneyhookshottj: it’s an efficient offense. Excited to see what the team becomes this season
From @edwinshiu: seth curry.