Pelicans vs. Raptors recap: The good, the bad and the Lonzo Ball (Jan. 2)
The Pelicans beat the Raptors for a second time this season on Saturday night, overturning a five-point deficit at the half and holding off the Raptors late to win 120-116.
Zion Williamson had a quiet first half against the Raptors, but Brandon Ingram kept the Pelicans in the game with 17 points in the first half. Eric Bledsoe hit a buzzer-beating three at the end of the third to give the Pelicans a five-point lead, and New Orleans took control in the fourth with a 12-2 run to take a 12-point lead. The Raptors closed the gap and took the lead late with a 14-2 run of their own, but Eric Bledsoe made two clutch plays in the final minutes to change the game.
After forcing a turnover defensively with the game tied 113-113, Bledsoe drained a three with 41.6 seconds left, and Brandon Ingram made key free-throws in the final seconds to seal the win.
Here’s the good, the bad and the Ball from Saturday’s nerve-wracking Pelicans win.
The good: Brandon Ingram continues to roll
With Zion Williamson struggling with double-teams and unable to produce offensively in the first half, Ingram kept the Pelicans alive with his mid-range and long-range shooting. Ingram finished the game with 31, his fourth game with 24 or more points in six starts - and on a night when the Pelicans missed a lot of free-throws, Ingram went 6-for-6 in crunch time to clinch the win.
The bad: Bench production
Josh Hart played an important role and Jaxson Hayes made some key hustle plays, but from an offensive perspective, the Pelicans' bench was simply not good enough. The Pelicans' bench combined for just 23 points, led by Hart's nine. As a unit, the bench shot 3-for-16 from 3-point range, and JJ Redick had another off-night from the field, shooting 1-for-4 to finish with five points. On nights when Ingram goes for 31, the bench might be able to get away with nights like this, but there needs to be more reliable production in the long-run.
The Ball: A quiet, turnover-free night
It was an entirely unremarkable night for Lonzo Ball, who hit a few 3-pointers in the first half but seemed to fade out of the game in the second. Ball finished with 13 points, four rebounds, four assists and two blocks with zero turnovers, but also shot 5-for-14 from the field. To his credit, Ball picked up the assist on the game-changing Eric Bledsoe three in the final minute. https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1345564716312055808
