“ Bad match », simply replied Luka Doncic, launching a dark look at the journalist who asked him about the heavy defeat of the Mavs on the Pelicans floor. 48 hours after a victory on (almost) the same floor. The latter’s flashy colors are not the only explanation for his bad evening (16 points at 5/16 on shots and 8 lost balls).
The Pelicans defense, boosted by the return of Herb Jones, also played a lot. “ We wanted to be the team that attacks. We had to turn things around, that’s what we did tonight. Our defense fueled our offense tonight. We saw what we were capable of when we played with this type of energy and state of mind. “, likes James Borregowho replaced the ill Willie Green, appreciating the physical dimension of his players.
His team had decided to change tack after conceding 136 points two days earlier, including 65 for the pair Luka Doncic – Kyrie Irving alone. How ? Using returning Herb Jones, who had just missed the last three games. This one, rather than starting on the Slovenian, was first responsible for monitoring Dereck Lively. While Dyson Daniels took charge, brilliantly in fact, of the conductor of the Mavs.
“ We wanted to slow them down quickly, it wasn’t our permanent coverage, but we wanted to vary the options. We said to ourselves that with this matchup, we could slow down their pick-and-roll », justifies the usual assistant, who considers that Dallas is “ one of the best pick-and-roll teams in the league »
A profitable adjustment on the “pick-and-roll”
By doing so, the Pelicans neutralized the option Dereck Lively (4 points to 1/2 on shots), because involving him in attack would have induced a defensive change, and Herb Jones would have found himself on Luka Doncic. While Jonas Valanciunas, less exposed thanks to this strategy, even if the Mavs wanted to target him, could remain in help.
Herb Jones was then frequently able to release the Texan pivot, who was not very threatening outside of his screen poses, and cut passing lines by reading Luka Doncic’s game well. The latter was also countered by the Pelicans winger, in the second curtain, while he had first made Dyson Daniels jump near the circle. Herb Jones thus accumulated 5 interceptions and 2 blocks, in addition to his 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
“ That’s what Herb does. He is everywhere. He stimulates our defense, he covers mistakes, he is very active. Luka is a phenomenal player. What he (Jones) did this evening in defense, that deserves to be praised. He is among the candidates for the best defender of the year trophy, in my opinion. He has that type of impact on a match. He set the tone for us », greets his coach for the evening.
Set the tone by leading by example. “ Many coaches tell me that others would listen to me. I’m not the most talkative. I’m not necessarily going to embarrass anyone by yelling. I’ll rather tell him on the side, what I see. All I care about is that the guys play hard “, finishes the winger who added 19 points (6/8 on shots) to his stat line.
| Herb Jones | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2021-22 | NOP | 78 | 30 | 47.6 | 33.7 | 84.0 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 2.1 | 3.1 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 9.5 |
| 2022-23 | NOP | 66 | 30 | 46.9 | 33.5 | 76.4 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 4.1 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 9.8 |
| 2023-24 | NOP | 7 | 31 | 47.1 | 26.1 | 88.9 | 0.6 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 10.0 |
| Total | 151 | 30 | 47.3 | 33.1 | 80.7 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 3.9 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 9.7 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
