Tip-off of the regular season is still over a week away, but New Orleans’ starting lineup can head into its Oct. 25 opener at Memphis with a bit of momentum, wrapping up preseason in improved fashion. After Pelicans regulars didn’t fare well for the bulk of the first three exhibition contests, Tuesday’s finale was noticeably better, with Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson both producing their best performances of October. Meanwhile, New Orleans reserves closed out a victory by outplaying their Orlando counterparts down the stretch of the fourth period. A total of five Pelicans players cracked double digits in scoring, including the pair of starting forwards (18 points for Ingram, 16 for Williamson), CJ McCollum, Jonas Valanciunas and backup rookie big Trey Jemison (UAB).
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Recently signed guard Jalen Crutcher swished a wing three-pointer, giving New Orleans a 100-90 lead with just over two minutes remaining. Crutcher dropped in eight critical points in the fourth quarter to put the Magic away late.
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As New Orleans broadcaster Todd Graffagnini put it during the live stream/radio call, Williamson was “everywhere on defense” in Tuesday’s first half. Amid a five-steal night for the lefty, ESPN’s Andrew Lopez posted that Williamson is “very dangerous when engaged on the defensive end like this.” The fourth-year forward constantly disrupted Orlando ballhandlers by playing aggressively over just 16 minutes of game action, partly leading to his 16-point output on 6/8 shooting from the field. He also compiled three assists and one block. …
Ingram was rolling from mid-range in three quarters of work (he logged 24 minutes), tallying his 18 points on 8/16 accuracy. He handed out six assists, as New Orleans tallied at least 24 points in every quarter, avoiding the droughts that cropped up in previous preseason games. …
Jemison did a ton of fourth-quarter damage in the paint, tipping in a teammate’s miss and converting a layup to help secure the victory. The Exhibit 10 contract signee and native of Birmingham scored eight of his 10 points in the final stanza.
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E.J. Liddell is officially also still a rookie until he plays in an NBA regular season game, but he welcomed 2023 lottery pick Jett Howard to the league with a resounding block on a fourth-quarter Orlando fast break. After scoring 10 points in Saturday’s loss at Atlanta, Liddell notched four points Tuesday, including a clean-up dunk in the second period. He also grabbed three rebounds in his 18 minutes.