Memphis hasn’t been a friendly venue for New Orleans this decade, but the Pelicans opened the 2023-24 campaign there in splendid fashion. Slow starts in October and November have been problematic for the Crescent City in recent seasons, but the Pelicans cracked the win column immediately Wednesday, defeating a perennial Western Conference contender. Behind a prolific evening from the high-powered trio of CJ McCollum, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, New Orleans took control in the second quarter, building a 10-point intermission edge and kept creating a bigger cushion. The Pelicans snapped what had been a streak of five straight losses on the FedEx Forum hardwood, knocking off the only West team that is coming off consecutive 50-win seasons.
McCollum topped the visitors with 24 points, followed by 23 from Williamson, including a dozen in a fourth quarter where he overwhelmed Memphis with athleticism and muscle. Ingram’s 19 points made it a total of 66 from the Pelicans’ three biggest offensive threats.
THREE POINTS
Newcomers make a splash (on the nets).
Every NBA franchise spent portions of the offseason calculating which roster moves might lead to wins. But sometimes a player signed mere days before the season can yield big dividends. New Orleans didn’t receive high marks from NBA analysts for a summer of only minor personnel tweaks, but brand-new addition Matt Ryan and rookie Jordan Hawkins made impacts in Game 1. Ryan helped get the Pels rolling with three three-pointers in the second quarter, part of a 32-19 NOLA edge in that stanza. Hawkins sank the first shot of his NBA career in the fourth period, a trey that put the Pels ahead by 13.
Aggressiveness turns the tide.
Memphis was dominating blocks and steals early in Wednesday’s game, but New Orleans looked considerably more aggressive in the second period. As Pelicans shots started to fall at a higher rate, they only needed to play the Grizzlies evenly in hustle categories to swing momentum. New Orleans won the middle quarters by a score of 57-42, turning a three-point deficit into a 12-point lead.
Pace = more fluid offense.
Pelicans TV analyst Antonio Daniels: “I love the pace CJ McCollum is playing with tonight.” The same could be said for New Orleans for parts of Wednesday’s game. With some exceptions, the Pelicans were crisp with their energy and movement on offense, avoiding stagnation. That helped to create open perimeter looks and shots in the paint.
BY THE NUMBERS
52-37: New Orleans rebounding advantage. With Memphis center Steven Adams (knee) out for the season and other Grizzlies bigs sidelined, the Pelicans went right at the hosts in the paint and at the rim. Williamson alone had two fourth-quarter dunks, a putback hoop and a layup.
21: Pelicans turnovers, one area they must improve after mistakes on offense were also common in preseason. “We got a little sloppy down the stretch,” McCollum said on postgame TV. “We had a lot of turnovers. This is a game we should’ve won by 15.”
14/32: New Orleans three-point shooting, highlighted by six makes in the second quarter (three by Ryan). Memphis was just 12/43.
