The two leaders of the Western Conference come in quick succession to fall on the same floor. The Pelicans one. The latter, after teaching the Mavs a lesson, won much more difficult last night against the Nuggets (115-110) behind Zion Williamson’s 26 points. A success synonymous with a balanced record for them (6v-6d) and a message sent to their competitors: the race for the playoffs will obviously not happen without them.
However, it was just a matter of time for the reigning champions (9v-3d) to secure an extension. With less than 30 seconds to play, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Reggie Jackson and Aaron Gordon, successively and on the same possession, had a good 3-point position to equalize.
But the long distance address was not really the theme of the evening for the visitors (10/40), like a very clumsy Nikola Jokic in this register (1/8), especially in the last quarter -time. This will undoubtedly be the only dark point of the evening for the Serbian, also the author of a new gargantuan outing. Lobbing a quantity of balls towards Michael Porter Jr. or Aaron Gordon, the pivot equaled his career record in passing.
A fatal 8-0 in “money time”
Much more comfortable finishing near the circle, he also led his team to scoring, from the second quarter in particular, when his team began to let go. Trailing after 12 minutes (36-28), the visitors had difficulty containing the interior activity of the Zion Williamson – Jonas Valanciunas duo.
More realistic at 3-points, the Pelicans took a 20-point lead (82-62), a few minutes after the break, thanks to two consecutive winning baskets from Brandon Ingram.
Helped by a very inspired Christian Braun coming off the bench, Nikola Jokic and his team managed to react quickly, to finish the third period below 10 points (95-86).
On a completely unbalanced shot from Christian Braun, the Nuggets came back to within one point four minutes from the end (103-102), without ever managing to take the lead in the game. This is where Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram decided to call it quits. The first strong near the circle, the second more elegant with his mid-distance shot. The two men alone signed a decisive 8-0.
Denver will struggle to make an express comeback, but without being able to equalize. Herbert Jones, still important in defense, like Dyson Daniels not far from the triple-double, could close the debates on the free throw line.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The tournament motivates the Pelicans. NOLA’s two successive victories came in the In-Season Tournament. By winning last night, the Pelicans now occupy the lead in Group B, ahead of the Nuggets with the same record (2v-1d). If they win next week against the Clippers, in the same group, they could finish first in this group. Zion Williamson does not hide his enthusiasm on the idea of being in the running for this tournament, whose prize for victory is $500,000 per player: “ This is something you can give to your family members or anyone else. It’s a good motivation. And then, we didn’t win anything. It would be a first step, to try to win this title. »
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.
