Just two days after taking on the East’s No. 1 seeded Brooklyn Nets, the New Orleans Pelicans welcomed the No. 2 seed Philadelphia 76ers to Smoothie King Arena. Star Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram returned to the lineup after missing the last 5 games due to injury. However, Lonzo Ball was out due to issues in his right hip flexor. After facing recent defensive struggles as a team, the Pels had to make improvements if they hoped to beat Joel Embiid and his surging Sixers ballclub.
Neck-and-neck half
Zion Williamson got things started for the Pelicans with an athletic put-back slam in the opening possession. The first quarter was nip-and-tuck throughout, with neither team leading by more than 5 points. Nevertheless, the Pelicans displayed high energy toward the end and threw down back-to-back dunks on their way to a 1-point lead heading into the second.
Continued back-and-forth play persisted in the second period. In the latter half of the quarter, ball movement became stagnant, giving the game the feel of a pickup game. Williamson was a bright spot for the Pels, as he scored an efficient 17 points in the first half. Ingram, however, struggled in the half, shooting just 2 of 12 from the floor. To little surprise, the close first half resulted in a 50-50 halftime score.
Pels gain control
Philadelphia matched their largest lead of the game early in the third, gaining a 5-point advantage. Yet, the Pelicans mounted a 10 to 0 run to take a 5-point lead of their own – also their largest lead up to that point. Despite the tight nature of the game, they kept their foot on the gas to capture an 8-point lead by the quarter’s end.
The Pelicans kept applying pressure in the final frame, building their cushion to 15 in the first few minutes. Philadelphia’s second-half struggles wouldn’t be cause for submission, though. The Sixers cut the deficit to 6 with just under 2 minutes to play. In response, Williamson put a stamp on the game with a heads-up play that led to a thunderous slam.
The Pelicans (23-29) went on to take an impressive and much needed 101-94 win over Philadelphia (35-17).
Zion stands alone
Williamson finished with an epic performance, tallying 37 points to go with 15 rebounds and 8 dimes. He was the first player in the League all season to record such a stat line. Despite a forgettable shooting performance, Ingram added 17 points. Jaxson Hayes also chipped in 12 points and 6 rebounds off the bench, while Willy Hernangomez added 10 and 10.
“My teammates were giving me confidence and saying we trust you and every move you make,” Williamson said. “All that stuff plays a part.”
It was a slow night for the Sixers as a whole. Tobias Harris led the way with 23 points and 7 rebounds. Embiid struggled to find his footing, scoring just 14 points on 5 of 16 shooting but adding 9 boards. Ben Simmons put up 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists.
“It was just a bad loss for us,” Harris said. “We never brought the physicality to the game. They got all the 50-50 basketballs and all the hustle plays. We came into the game just thinking we were going to outscore them.”
The Pelicans will next face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday at 4:00 p.m. PST.
