The Pelicans were coming off a game in which they committed 22 turnovers, so you had to worry a little when New Orleans turned the ball over on the opening possession of Wednesday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors at the Smoothie King Center.
In fact, the Pelicans committed 20 more turnovers in this game.
So, you can imagine that they were in trouble with the raptors.
Think again.
New Orleans shared the ball brilliantly, made beautiful baskets, rebounded with ferocity and defended with incredible toughness in a 126-108 victory.
Pascal Siakam is tall and handsome.
Herb Jones is a great defender.
Jones did the hard work.
Siakam scored the game’s first nine points.
This caused Willie Green to switch from man-to-man defense to zone.
This helped before New Orleans reverted to man-to-man defense in even stronger fashion.
Zion Williamson came out explosive, attacking every lane. He made his first four field goal attempts and created a series and one scoring opportunity in the first quarter. He stays that way.
Williamson finished the quarter with 11 points, 5-for-5 with four rebounds. Williamson was responsible for 19 of New Orleans’ first 25 points, scoring or assisting on a basket.
Larry Nance Jr. returned to the lineup off the bench and he and Willie Hernangomez played together for the first time in memory this season, and in the opening quarter, the two combined for nine points in seven minutes between them.
The Pelicans expanded the lead in the second quarter with impressive ball movement, aggressive defense and outstanding shooting.
New Orleans did everything well: share the ball, defend, run, rebound and shoot. The Pelicans closed the half on a 10-0 run to explode to a 73-47 halftime lead. New Orleans held the Raptors to 18 points in the second quarter.
The Pelicans shot 63.6 percent from the field and had 19 assists on 28 shots. New Orleans outshot the Raptors 27-13 on the boards.
The 74 points were a season high in the first half for the Pelicans this season.
It was the best half of basketball in New Orleans this season and the best half of basketball this season by Williamson. Zion made 7 out of 8 field goal attempts. He finished with 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Trey Murphy went 4 of 6 from 3-point range and finished with 15 points on 5 of 7 shooting.
Fred VanVleet was ejected for his second technical foul in the first minute of the third quarter.
Jones rolled his left ankle early in the third quarter and didn’t look good. He went to the locker room. He would not return. X-rays were negative.
New Orleans built a 31-point lead in the third quarter, but Toronto went on an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to 20 points at 94-74.
The Pelicans had eight turnovers in the third quarter, allowing Toronto to pull a little closer, but New Orleans extended its lead to 102-78 by the end of the period.
Toronto didn’t quit and went on a tear in the fourth quarter as the Pelicans continued to pile on their plethora of possessions. The Raptors pulled within 113-102 and New Orleans needed a lift.
They got it from Williamson, who knifed through three defenders, blocked a shot, and exploded to the basket on the other side to extend the lead to 117-102.
That’s cool stuff.
The Pelicans played two great quarters and one solid quarter. That was enough.
Again, New Orleans did it short-handed without Brandon Ingram, C.J. McCollum and Najib Marshall.
Again, New Orleans needed to add Williamson.
Zion did that and then some, scoring a career-high 33 points on 12-of-15 shooting, sinking 9 of 12 free throws, 10 rebounds with five steals, four steals and two blocks in an impressive performance.
Murphy was the star, scoring 26 points with five rebounds, going 6 of 12 from 3-point range. It was the third straight game for Murphy with 20 or more points. Jonas Valanchinas had 16 points, 13 rebounds and three assists.
While Murphy has been a different player since his rookie season, another rookie has emerged.
Dyson Daniels continues to improve and expand the game. Daniels had 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Jones had 12 points before going down and Nance returned with 10 points.
The Pelicans shot 52 percent from the field, 42 percent from 3-point range, 85 percent from the free throw line and outrebounded Toronto 52-30 on the boards, the only negative, 20 turnovers in New Orleans, the second straight game of 20 or more.
Normally when they reach that mark they lose.
The Pelicans won both games because they were so good in so many other areas.
Now 13-8 and five games over .500 for the first time in 329 games, the Pelicans play at San Antonio on Friday night. New Orleans won 129-110 at San Antonio on November 23rd.
Hopefully, Jones won’t be gone for long.
Hopefully, McCollum and Marshall could be ready to play Friday.
Hopefully Ingram can be back soon.
Regardless, this deep roster continues to show that maybe this team has a chance to make the playoffs this season.
This is not reach.
