MEMPHIS – A night after posting arguably their most memorable victory of the season, New Orleans sustained a rare one-sided loss, getting outplayed and outworked by Memphis all game Wednesday. For only the second time since Feb. 21 – the NOLA debut of Norris Cole – the Pelicans were beaten by a double-digit margin, this time falling behind by 19 points at halftime and 26 through three quarters. As a result, the race for eighth place in the Western Conference is deadlocked with four games remaining for both the Pelicans and Thunder (42-36), though NOLA owns the tiebreaker. Over the final week of the regular season, the two teams will play simultaneous games Friday, Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. Next up Friday for the Pelicans is a home game vs. the Suns, while the Thunder will host the Kings.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Memphis forward Jeff Green threw down a crowd-pleasing, fast-break dunk with four-plus minutes remaining in the third quarter, giving the Grizzlies a 75-50 lead. Facing one of the NBA’s premier defensive teams (Grizzlies are third in the NBA in defensive efficiency, second in points allowed), the Pelicans dug themselves an insurmountable hole. The middle quarters were back-breakers for New Orleans, which only tallied 12 and 19 points, respectively.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Quincy Pondexter again was one of the few Pelicans to get off to a good start offensively. After tallying nine of NOLA’s 19 first-quarter points Tuesday vs. Golden State, he had eight of the team’s 24 first-period points in Memphis. Pondexter looked like he might be on his way to a big offensive night against his former team, but the forward only added three more after intermission.
PELICANS UNSUNG CONTRIBUTOR
Slim pickings, but Omer Asik was the rare Pelican who made half of his shots from the field, albeit only 2-for-4. New Orleans was minus-9 with the center on the floor, which was actually not bad by comparison to the other starters’ plus-minus figures.
QUOTES TO NOTE
“It was just a tough game for us. We had an emotional game last night – I thought we’d have some letdown, but not this much. (The Grizzlies) were sitting here rested, this was a game they needed, and they played with a great deal of desperation. We looked a bit tired out there… Emotionally and physically, I thought we were a bit drained tonight.” – Monty Williams on the loss
“It’s one game. We’ve got to take care of our business. If we do that, we’ll be where we want to be.” – Monty Williams on the Pelicans still controlling their playoff fate
“We can’t make it an excuse. I mean, everybody’s tired this time of the year. Everybody’s going through injuries, the same bumps and bruises, same things physically. But I think we were a bit tired. Last night was a tough game, against a great team, the best team in the league. But it can’t be an excuse or a cop-out to put up this kind of performance.” – Anthony Davis on the loss
BY THE NUMBERS
72: Fewest points by New Orleans in a game this season, a score the Pelicans barely cleared Wednesday, doing so in the final minute.
35.0: Percentage from the field by the Pelicans, including 6-for-21 shooting from three-point range.
6: Grizzlies players in double-digit scoring. Every Memphis player in the home team’s top eight tallied eight or more points.
#TAKEFLIGHT QUESTION OF THE NIGHT
It’s a tie for eighth between New Orleans and Oklahoma City, with four games left. Who gets in and why?
From @ObeyTheBoss1: NOLA. Better Supporting Cast.
From @phelpsalot: NOLA bc they will catch a break in the schedule due to teams resting guys...okc has two tough games left.
From @Naemerem_: OKC because we Pelicans have a tougher stretch with Houston and the Spurs. Might even lose it on that last day at home