The race for the 8th seed in the western conference playoffs is a brutal and unforgiving one. The Phoenix Suns are currently 28-22, the New Orleans Pelicans are 26-23, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are 25-24 with only a few weeks until the all-star break.
The Pelicans had a valuable opportunity to swing this race in their favor tonight, but they ultimately fell short due to dysfunctional 4th quarter execution.
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Going into this gameEric Gordonhad totaled at least 5 assists in his last 9 games, creating the longest current streak in the league. In addition,Anthony Davisheld the streak for the most current consecutive 20 point games with 12.
Though both these streaks still stand, Gordon and Davis failed to lead their team in tonight’s vital playoff clinching contest.
The Pelicans began the game strongly focused on ball movement and half court offense. Their first 11 made field goals came off 9 assists and they were playing with the same collective unselfishness we saw against the Hawks on Monday.
This was in strong contrast to the Thunder, who were scoring almost exclusively on isolations and transition opportunities.Russell Westbrookwas the catalyst for this play style and executed it with reckless abandon.
Westbrook scored 19 points in the first quarter alone on 8-10 shots, the highest single quarter total he has reached in his career. His second highest quarter total was 18 points… last season… against the Pelicans.
Feb 4, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) shoots over New Orleans Pelicans center Omer Asik (3) during the first quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
The Pelicans ended the 2nd quarter with a last second three-point buzzer beater fromQuincy Pondexter. By halftime it was clear Westbrook was out to get us, but it looked like the Pelicans could win due to their clear advantage in team focused offensive execution.
The second half of the game was a complete reversal for the Pelicans.
Very rarely do you see two teams seemingly trade play-styles halfway through a game but that’s precisely what the Thunder and Pelicans decided to do.
The third quarter both teams traded runs, the score was even and it looked like the game would end as a nail-bitter.Ryan Andersonwas on fire off the bench and scored 19 points while shooting 3-8 from deep. Anderson ended the game 7-17, but a lot of this misses were from put-back attempts and tip ins.
The fourth quarter was when the Pelicans got slaughtered.
They hung with the Thunder for a while, but Anthony Davis was clearly struggling on offense and his mid-range shot was nowhere to be found. When Anthony Davis can’t score this team is stuck in limbo due to the fact that they have no clear 2nd option.
Feb 4, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) has his shot blocked by Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins (5) as center Steven Adams (12) defends during the second quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
At the 6 minute mark in the 4th quarter Russell Westbrook tied his season high point total of 45. At this point the score was tied and the game was wide open.
From this point until the final buzzerthe Pelicans did not make a single shot.They failed to score even once for 6 straight minutes and the absence of their leading passerJrue Holidaywas clearly felt.
Not only would Jrue’s distribution have been essential, but his elite defensive IQ would have been invaluable in the struggle to contain Russell Westbrook.
Reporter Jim Eichenhofer had this to say about the Pelican’s late game execution.
Last few#Pelicanspossessions have been almost exclusively an isolation with little movement off the ball. Bad time for that. OKC 100-91
— Jim Eichenhofer (@Jim_Eichenhofer)February 5, 2015
The Pelicans lost any semblance of momentum they had earned in their recent win against Atlanta, they isolated and chucked up contested jumpers while watching the Thunder slowly build a 10 point lead, and secured a victory.
The Thunder won the game 100-91 carried on the back of Russell Westbrook, who ended the game with 45 points on 18-31 shooting.
Though this game potentially winnable, and will hurt the teams momentum, the playoff race is far from over.Rajon Rondoof the Dallas Mavericks will miss end tended time, The Phoenix Suns have an increasingly difficult schedule, and the Thunder won’t be able to rely on Westbrook for 45 points a night.
The Pelicans face the Thunder again on Friday. Hopefully we can expect more from this team, only recently have we seen what they are capable of….
Next: A Polished Pelican: The Rebirth of Eric Gordon
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