“ We must toughen up », demanded at the start of the week Willie Green, whose Pelicans team had not yet won in preseason. It is now done with this victory on the Magic floor (92-104), a few days after suffering a heavy defeat against the same team.
The New Orleans coach had lined up his usual starting five and mobilized his starters for around twenty minutes, with the exception of Zion Williamson who played 16 minutes. All the same, time to accumulate 16 points (6/8), 3 rebounds, 3 assists and above all 5 interceptions, which led him to several flights to the circle on the counter-attack and 2 blocks.
Symbol of a great defensive investment for a Pelicans team which limited its opponent to 92 points scored with only 42% success, including far too many 3-point shots (13/47). The Paolo Banchero – Wendell Carter Jr. tandem thus finished with a sad 3/16 on cumulative shots.
Fortunately for the Magic, the Wagner brothers ensured their success (35 points between them at 15/21 on shots). The score was better distributed on the Pelicans side since alongside the leaping interior, Brandon Ingram (18), CJ McCollum (11) and Jonas Valanciunas (10) all three reached the 10 unit mark.
They were supported by their rookie pivot, Trey Jemison, one rebound from the double-double, who was decisive in the final minutes, where the second knives of the Pelicans snatched the decision. Zion Williamson’s teammates end their preseason with a record of one victory in four games.
“ We are still far from what we think we can be. We have a lot of talent, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. What matters for us is the intensity of our play. Are we sharing the ball? Are we defending? When we combine our talent with this dimension, we obtain something special “, delivered Willie Green at the end of the meeting.
His team starts its regular season in a week on the Grizzlies floor.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
