Pelicans vs. Grizzlies: The good, the bad and the Lonzo Ball (Feb. 16)
The Pelicans exploded in their best offensive showing of the season to snap a three-game losing streak, downing the Grizzlies 144-113.
Zion Williamson was unstoppable all night long, scoring 31 points on 13-of-16 shooting from the field in just 28 minutes of work. Led by him, the Pelicans overcame a first-quarter, double-digit deficit and won in dominant fashion.
Josh Hart had one of his best showings of the year with 27 points on 5-of-11 shooting from 3-point range along with nine rebounds. Brandon Ingram added 22 points and Willy Hernangomez had 14 off the bench as well.
Ja Morant had 28 points on 12-of-16 field goal shooting with eight assists and seven rebounds.
The Good: Zion Williamson
It's a recurring trend of late but Zion Williamson is absolutely unstoppable. The Grizzlies had zero answers for Williamson no matter how the Pelicans deployed him. Point Zion made some appearances and blew by defenders for easy finishes at the rim countless times. In the paint, Williamson destroyed every Memphis big. The Grizzlies even deployed a zone at one point that Williamson quickly tore apart with his passing and interior moves. He finished the night with 31 points on 13-of-16 shooting with seven rebounds and six assists in just 28 minutes. The list of adjectives to describe him grows shorter with each passing game.
The Bad: First quarter
In a game the Pelicans won handily by night's end, the first quarter was ugly, and particularly the opening 10 minutes. The Pelicans started slow and it looked to be an omen for another frustrating night for New Orleans. Through the opening 9:13, to be exact, the Pelicans trailed 30-19. The fact they won by 32 and scored 142 points makes the opening 9 minutes more incredible. Fortunately, the final two minutes of the first quarter saw them go on a 10-2 run to close the gap to three points by quarter's end and set up the huge win.
The Lonzo Ball: Strong effort on both ends
Lonzo Ball didn't have a big statistical night but did have an impact on both ends. Offensively, he shot 5-of-12 from the field and 2-of-7 from 3-point territory for 13 points with five assists and three rebounds as well as two steals. Defensively, he continued his strong string of performances even despite starting the game in foul trouble with two fouls early in the first quarter.
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