Pelicans Top Thunder in Smoothie King Shootout
By Mike Delayo
The Oklahoma City Thunder (41-17) employ two of the best basketball players in the world and the entire roster is healthy. They are not a top four team in the NBA this season by accident. But none of that mattered to the Pelicans, who improved to (23-34) after valiantly defending homecourt against the Thunder on tonight by a score of 123-119.
The result of the game is the biggest takeaway from that sentence, and the story of how it all went down starts with the box score. Overtime was not necessary for both teams to combine for 242 points because they were red hot from the very start.
Norris Cole scored the first 9 Pelicans points, which is more often than not a death sentence.
But those early makes set the tone for a team that looked poised to struggle offensively with a starting unit of Cole, Alonzo Gee, Dante Cunningham, Anthony Davis and Alexis Ajinca.
Cole, Cunningham, and Toney Douglas, all of whom are not expected to have much offensive effectiveness night in and night out, ultimately won the Pels the game tonight.
Feb 25, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Norris Cole (30) shoots over Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) during the second half of a game at Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Thunder 123-119. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
This trio, which averages a hair over 20 points per contest, combined for 16-27 shooting from the field, including 6-9 from three point range.
Cunningham rarely has the spotlight on him, but he is always ready to step up and do whatever it takes for the team to win. He played a game high 42 minutes tonight, most of which he spent guarding Kevin Durant, but he still never wavered.
His effort and basketball IQ are among the highest on the team, and when he is able to knock down his open shots at a decent clip, he becomes a true x-factor.
Durant and his counterpart Russell Westbrook did more than their fair share of damage tonight.
The NBA’s highest scoring duo lived up to that title, scoring 76 of the 119 Thunder points.
Stopping these guys is no longer an option. They are going to get their shots up, and more often than not, they will get them to fall too.
But the Pelicans did just enough, making sure they didn’t get EVERYTHING they wanted.
Feb 25, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrates with guard Russell Westbrook (0) after scoring against the New Orleans Pelicans during the fourth quarter of a game at Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Thunder 123-119. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
With a minute to go in the contest Davis knocked down a pair of free throws, putting the finishing touches on his 30 point night and giving the Pelicans a 121-116 lead. But the Thunder had not missed a shot in nearly three minutes, with Westbrook scoring 7 and collecting an offensive rebound in the previous 90 seconds alone. However, the Pels finally caught a break.
Westbrook slashed to the basket once again, only Jrue Holiday was able to come over at the very last second and contest the look just enough to throw Westbrook of course.
Ryan Anderson missed a good look from three point range, but the game clock was down to :18. Durant got a switch on the next possession and calmly drilled a three with Cole right underneath him. Once again, it was a one possession game.
But Holiday was able to knock down a pair of clutch free throws, and Westbrook missed a three on the Thunder’s final possession to seal the game.
Feb 25, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) shoots over Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) during the second half of a game at Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Thunder 123-119. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
The clutch plays at the end stood out, but Holiday, despite a new haircut, was as effective as always all night long. He finished with 22 points and 9 assists on 75% shooting.
Fouls became an issue in the second quarter, when he quickly picked up three and was forced to sit out. Upon reentering in the third, he picked up a forth.
Holiday walked over towards the bench, ready to sit out until at least the start of the fourth quarter, but then he stopped.
Alvin Gentry trusted him to stay out on the court, a decision that certainly kept the flow of the game away from the Thunder.
Gentry has received a lot of flak for not starting Holiday, which is understandable: Holiday and Davis have not been sharing the floor enough. But as long as this duo does get to play together for a significant amount of time, it doesn’t matter who is starting.
Tonight they shared the court more often than not, and the team reaped the rewards. If Jrue is more comfortable coming off of the bench, and Gentry finds ways to get Davis on the floor with him, what is there to complain about?
A lot of Pelicans had the hot-hand tonight, but it would not have been a full-blown shootout if The Flamethrower wasn’t somehow involved. Ryan Anderson was as hot as ever, racking up 26 points on 11 makes.
Most of those came courtesy of his patented step-back mid ranged jump shot, which just would not miss. He only took 6 threes and made 2, but his ability to bail out the offense with high difficulty makes gave the Pels the boost they needed.
Feb 25, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) celebrates forward Ryan Anderson (33) as guard Norris Cole (30) dabs following a win against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Thunder 123-119. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
The way this season has been going, Kendrick Perkins and Luke Babbitt have only seen the floor if things are going terribly. Tonight, the script was flipped.
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Babbitt, whose hair is finally starting to return to form, saw 5 minutes of action tonight, and has nothing but a plus / minus of -2 to show for it. He may not have done much tonight, but as a proud fan club member, I am still excited for him nonetheless.
Kendrick Perkins actually contributed very positively to the Pelicans cause tonight. He found wide open shooters on the arc from the paint twice, and used three solid fouls to prevent easy baskets for the elite Thunder scorers.
It may not always look pretty (in fact, it might never), but the little things like that are all the Pels can ask for from the veteran big man. He is always a threat to do something that has never been seen on a basketball court, for better of for worse, so seeing him actually make some things happen is a sight to remember.
Fans, if you thought the Pelicans were going to let you off the hook and let this season die, you thought wrong. All signs were pointed to a tailspin further out of the playoff picture, but they have now rattled off wins in 5 of their last 7 games, including 3 of 4 since the All-Star break.
If this team brings the kind of effort they did tonight game in and game out, no matter how unlikely it is that they will reach the playoffs, I will be behind them. If they miss out on the postseason by a game and have the lowest lottery odds, so be it. The basketball gods might smile on a team not actively trying to tank.
The Pels will take the court again on Saturday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves (6 P.M. CST)………