Wizards (23-26), Pelicans (26-24)
Three weeks ago, New Orleans routed Washington by 20 points in our nation’s capital, despite playing without Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. When the Pelicans and Wizards met again Saturday, the outcome was symbolic of both teams’ recent fortunes since the Jan. 9 blowout. Washington reeled off its fifth straight victory, while New Orleans lost its seventh in a row. “There are times in the season where you go through stretches that are not fun,” Pelicans head coach Willie Green said. “This is one of them. But I firmly believe these times test your character, make you stronger and bring you together.”
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Washington’s Bradley Beal swished a three from straightaway, then drove and drew a foul with 2:07 left. Beal hit a pair of free throws to give the Wizards an 11-point lead, after the Pelicans had started to make some headway with a fourth-quarter push.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
As New Orleans continues to have difficulty clearing the century mark in scoring, efficient offense becomes increasingly valuable. CJ McCollum provided a boost during a few stretches when points were tougher to come by, finishing with 24 on 9/19 shooting.
BY THE NUMBERS
22: Points for Ingram in his second game since returning from a toe injury that sidelined him for two months. "He's getting there," Green said of Ingram's progress. "It will take a little time. He had a better game (than Wednesday) and (played) a few more minutes."
53-42: Washington rebounding advantage, one of the largest negative differentials on the backboards for New Orleans this season.
REVISITING FANDUEL KEYS TO THE GAME
GET TO THE HOOP
The Wizards did a lot of that, leading points in the paint early (the Pelicans ended up with a 56-50 edge). That represented a major reversal from Jan. 9, when the Pelicans held a 74-46 edge in that category.
MATCHUP TO WATCH, PART I
Ingram started 4/5 from the field but went through a dry spell that had him 4/11 by halftime. He’s still trying to gain his shooting rhythm, this time finishing 8/22 after a 4/18 on Wednesday vs. Minnesota.
MATCHUP TO WATCH, PART II
In a meeting of veteran guards, McCollum had better overall numbers, but Beal (16 points, 5/17 shooting) delivered when Washington was threatened late.
#SATURDAYSCORER
With six of the team’s 11 Saturday regular season games now in the books, Pelicans.com's contest is tied atop the leaderboard, after Joe Cardosi’s pick of Ingram topped his season scoring average by 1.7 points. Jonas Valanciunas (Jim Eichenhofer's choice) was ejected due to a flagrant foul in the first half, helping create the tie between Pelicans Podcast co-hosts. That makes the season standings: Jim 2, Joe 2, Gus 1, Fans 1. Next Saturday game: Feb. 4 vs. Lakers.