Matt Ryan with another triple off a Jonas Valanciunas assist | Pelicans vs Pistons 11/2/23
New Orleans has two players on its roster who’ve been a Western Conference All-Star this decade, but neither of them were available to participate in Thursday’s second game of a back-to-back. No problem. The Pelicans had perhaps the best current NBA player without an All-Star appearance in CJ McCollum. They also leaned on a two-way contract signee making his first NBA start – and he was scorching hot from the perimeter. Behind a 25-point first half from McCollum (33 total), blazing shooting from October waiver addition Matt Ryan and a 20-10 night from center Jonas Valanciunas, New Orleans pounced on Detroit. With both teams playing the second game of a back-to-back – and the Pelicans not arriving at the Kenner airport until noon Thursday, due to a plane mechanical issue – the hosts looked like the fresher, more active squad, going up by as many as 25 points before halftime.
THREE POINTS
All hands on deck.
Ryan’s first NBA start went splendidly (he scored 20 points, zooming past his previous career high of 12), and the domino effect of being without both Zion Williamson (rest) and Brandon Ingram (knee) meant the initial opportunity of this season to play for second-year guard Dereon Seabron. The back of the Pelicans’ rotation did exemplary work to capitalize on extra chances to contribute, supporting every-game starters McCollum, Herb Jones (career-high four blocks) and Jonas Valanciunas (23-13-5 line, along with three blocks).
JV in the paint (and beyond).
Valanciunas jumped up a couple pegs in the offensive pecking order, using his size advantage against Detroit to overpower the Pistons under the basket. Valanciunas did a little bit of everything and a lot of scoring as the No. 2 option, shooting 9/16 from the field and providing intimidation on defense and in the paint. The Pelicans have beaten Memphis and Detroit while he delivered double-doubles, and he came within one board of a double-double at Oklahoma City. He was a plus-20 on Thursday, the fourth time he’s been in the positive ledger (all wins) in five games.
Elite playmaking.
At one stage early in the third quarter, New Orleans had 19 assists and only five turnovers. The final ratio was not as dominant (27-12), but still very good. After a high-turnover season opener at Memphis, the Pelicans are doing a better job of limiting mistakes. Five different New Orleans players handed out three or more assists, with reserve Dyson Daniels quietly leading with six dimes in 25 minutes. Kira Lewis Jr. added four assists off the bench.
BY THE NUMBERS
26/53: New Orleans three-point shooting during this back-to-back, after starting 1/21 at Oklahoma City. The Pelicans were 14/32 on Thursday, led by Ryan’s 6/8 accuracy.
4: Pelicans players with 20-plus points, including Jones with a season high of 21. Jones was an ultra-efficient 6/7 from the field and made all nine of his free throws.
33/35: Speaking of good things at the foul line, New Orleans only missed two free throws out of 35 tries. The Pelicans were a brutal 17/29 the night before in Oklahoma City, but still managed to hold off a late Thunder comeback attempt.
