After nine victories in a row, the Pelicans returned to victory with a victory down to the wire (126-124), and it was snatched by a counter from Herb Jones on Devin Booker at the last second!
Before that, the Pelicans thought they had done the hard part by erasing an 11-point deficit (65-54) to finally lead by eight points six minutes from the end (111-103). A comeback by Brandon Ingram, on fire in the 3rd quarter.
What followed was an end to the match that was as intense as it was indecisive. It's Royce O'Neale who traps the inattentive Pelicans in the middle of the field, while Mason Plumlee snatches the offensive rebound and dunks. In one minute, everything has to be done again for New Orleans, and Willie Green takes a timeout. He decides to play “small ball” with the release of Yves Missi. Winning option and the Pelicans regain a six-point lead (116-110).
Series in “money time”
Behind, the returning Brandon Ingram gets the ball stolen by O'Neale, and the Suns go on to a 7-0 with Devin Booker taking the match into his own hands. The Suns are ahead at the start of “money time”: 117-116. The yo-yo continues! The Pelicans respond with a… 5-0, and there is delirium in the stands. The match becomes completely crazy, and it goes from one camp to the other, like this alley-oop from Trey Murphy III who had not returned to defense.
There are 14 seconds left to play, and the Pelicans lead 125-121. The ball goes to Devin Booker who misses his 3-pointer, but in the middle of a forest of arms, the ball reaches Tyus Jones, who finds Grayson Allen, alone on his right to plant a 3-pointer: 125-124.
There are three seconds left to play. The Suns foul CJ McCollum, and the guard misses one out of two throws. The Suns have one shot to tie or win. Again, the ball to Booker, who stutters his dribble, and attempts an impossible shot. Jones crushes the ball, and the Pelicans win at the last minute. Their first victory in ten matches.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– Winning return from Brandon Ingram. After an absence of five matches, Brandon Ingram made his return, and he did not go unnoticed… Particularly with his hot streak in the 3rd quarter. Unleashed, he scored 21 of his 29 points to allow the Pelicans to turn the tide of the match. At the end, a full match with 29 points and 7 rebounds on 10 out of 19 shots.
– The infirmary is emptying… For the first time since the end of October, the Pelicans were able to rely on five of their six best players, and the Jones-Murphy pair weighed heavily on defense. The Murray-McCollum duo is learning to play together, and that should help turn things around by the end of the year holidays.
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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.
