Pelicans vs. Bucks Recap: The good, the bad and the Lonzo Ball
In their last time out, Brandon Ingram drained a career-high seven 3-pointers to help the New Orleans Pelicans score a victory over the Washington Wizards.
On Friday night, Lonzo Ball decided to follow suit. Ball connected on seven shots from long distance, as well, helping the Pelicans hold on for a 131-126 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks.
New Orleans got big efforts across the board, leading by as many as 29 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo helped the Bucks to a late rally, but ultimately, it was enough to overcome a balance effort from the Pelicans.
Ingram led the way with 28 points and four assists. Ball ended the night with 27 points, three rebounds and eight assists. Zion Williamson contributed 21, nine and seven, while Eric Bledsoe had a nice revenge game against his former squad with 25 points and four assists.
The Pelicans have now won back-to-back contests for the first time since Jan. 2. They improve to 7-10 on the season but will complete a three-games-in-four-nights stretch when they host the Rockets and Kings on Saturday and Monday, respectively.
The Good: Starting Unit Dominance
The Pelicans came out like gangbusters, scoring 35 points in the game's first quarter and carrying a 14-point lead into the game's second period. The Pelicans began the second quarter on a 22-7 run to open up a 29-point lead which they were able to comfortably control the game until Milwaukee came storming back in the game's second half. Despite a late rally, New Orleans got big shots down the stretch from their starters and were able to avoid the disappointment of another loss after leading big. The starters combined to score 105 points, and even though Steven Adams only contributed four to that total, he did pull down 20 rebounds.
The Bad: Another Late Scare
Considering the fact that the Pelicans just knocked off one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference, it's hard to find fault. They only turned the ball over nine times as a team and didn't put the Bucks on the line too much, yet still, the Bucks managed to close the contest to within single digits on a few separate occasions during the game's fourth quarter. Perhaps it's wishful thinking, but Stan Van Gundy probably would've wanted his team to display a bit more urgency when playing with the lead. Nonetheless, on a night when the Pelicans scored a huge win, it says a lot that this would be the team's biggest fault, especially on a night when they connected on 21 of their 48 attempts from 3-point territory.
The Lonzo Ball: Shooting the Lights Out
Ball made a triumphant return after his injury scare against the Wizards. He ended the night with 27 points, three rebounds and eight assists including shooting 7-for-13 from beyond the arc. If you're looking for one thing to criticize Ball on for his performance on Friday night, it might be the fact that he didn't attempt a single free-throw, but when you recall that he connected on a dagger 3-pointer with 3:54 remaining in the contest, it's a sin that's easily forgiven. All in all, Friday night's victory was a very, very solid effort for New Orleans.
