Rod Walker: Pelicans peaking at right time after starting business trip with impressive win in L.A.

Perhaps it was the wake-up call or kick in the rear the New Orleans Pelicans desperately needed. When Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. drained that game-winning pull-up 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left on St. Patrick's Day, it looked as if he not only buried the shot, but also the Pelicans' season. Many people wrote the Pelicans' obituary that night, understandably so considering the Pels blew a double digit lead against one of the worst teams in the NBA to start off what was supposed to be a fairly easy 4-game stretch against three non-playoff teams: (Rockets twice, San Antonio Spurs and Hornets). Jonas Valancuinas summed it up best that night in Houston.