No Zion Williamson? No problem ! As in the East, the logic was respected since the Pelicans, 7th, in the Western conference, won their ticket for the first round of the playoffs! It will be against the Thunder, and even without Williamson, Willie Green's players have the means to create a surprise.
In front of their hot crowd, the Pelicans got off to an average start. The fault is Domantas Sabonis who multiplies the feints to score near the circle, and De'Aaron Fox who cuts the first curtain too easily. However, the beautiful play is on the New Orleans side with the search for the extra pass to find Brandon Ingram. Alongside an aggressive Jonas Valanciunas, Ingram takes responsibility. But Harrison Barnes gives five points in advance with a nice Eurostep (20-15). We have to wait for the replacements to come in so that the Pelicans take action, and no longer react. It's Larry Nance Jr., always well placed, who traps the defense, while Jose Alvarado immediately makes an impact. After 12 minutes, the Kings remain in front (24-22).
And then the impact of Nance and Alvarado will be felt more and more. The leader steals balls, and goes to mark the foul. As for Nance, he explodes the room with, in a few seconds, a dunk, followed by an interception, then another dunk. A sequence which punctuates a 10-0 to take control, and even eight points in advance (39-31). Naji Marshall imitates his teammate: he snatches a ball from the ground, and also dunks to give a 10-point lead (47-37). The Kings have their legs cut off, and only Fox survives. At the break, New Orleans leads 54-45.
Jose Alvarado hurts so much
Returning from the locker room, same scenario with Brandon Ingram, on the counter, then Herb Jones, on the interception, who do damage. The Kings' defense is late, and the Pelicans escape: 65 – 51. Under the boards, Valanciunas takes over Sabonis, and the clumsiness of Keegan Murray leaves Fox alone. And when Willie Green restarts his replacements, Nance rushes to add a dunk to his collection (77-66). The Kings are unable to regain the score, and Murphy takes the baseline to sign a big two-handed dunk! Sacramento is on the verge of collapse, especially since Jose Alvarado is still hurting them (87-74).
Mike Brown is looking for solutions. He sends Sasha Vezenko and Davion Mitchell, but that doesn't change anything. It's even worse, and Jose Alvarado even gives the Pelicans a 20-point lead (97-77). There are six minutes left to play, and the Kings' body language is terrible. He takes a big blow to the head, and Trey Murphy takes it upon himself to calm down the slightest attempt at a “comeback”. Fox still believes in it and he forces Green to leave his best players on the field. In the end, the Pelicans won 105-98, and clinched their ticket to the playoffs.
What you must remember
– 6-0. “It’s difficult to beat the same team six times in the same year”. That's what Fox said the day before, and the Pelicans achieved it. This time, the Kings didn't take a spanking, even though they were up to 20 points ahead. But the price is the same, and above all this lost “one-match series” sends them on vacation.
– The Lithuanian duel. In the absence of Zion Williamson, Valanciunas raised his level of play, and his duel against his compatriot Domantas Sabonis was worth a watch. On the one hand, power and play with your back to the basket. On the other, feints and technique. A real duel of old-fashioned interiors.
– The Pelicans bench. Despite the absence of Zion Williamson, Willie Green can count on a rich squad, and we could already see this during the absence of Brandon Ingram. It was when Larry Nance, Naji Marshall and Jose Alvarado returned that the meeting changed its face. They have 34 points, compared to 12 for the Sacramento substitutes. Without Malik Monk, the Kings couldn't compete.
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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.
