Pelicans continue to give younger guys more opportunities as injuries pile up 

The New Orleans Pelicans had a lot of time on their hands this past week, only playing in two games. They went 1-1 in their contests while continuing to let the younger guys see more playing time. 

The first game was in the Smoothie King Arena featuring the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, Mar. 24. There simply are no words that I can express to help comfort Sixers fans. 

Imagine you’re at Chili’s and you’re eating all-you-can-eat Triple Dippers. Sounds amazing, right? But after your tenth plate, you go to the largest roller coaster in America and ride it 50 times straight. All of the mozzarella sticks come back to haunt you. 

That’s the experience of being a Philly fan right now. Their entire starting lineup is out with a slew of injuries. Quentin Grimes, who has been on a tear the last two months, sat out to rest. 

So, the Sixers come in with a similar situation to the Pels, playing a lot of inexperienced guys really because they have no other choice. 

For the Pelicans, we all know how badly they’ve struggled with the injury bug, but CJ McCollum (foot), Brandon Boston (ankle) and Zion Williamson (back) were all ruled out. 

However, the Pels were in no need of their assistance as they would make quick work of the Sixers. 

Early on, it was the energy of the Pels that gave them a big advantage. Guys were running in transition and attacking the rim aggressively. They applied a lot of pressure on the Sixers’ fastbreak defense, and they never really had an answer for the uptempo pace. 

It was one of the main catalysts to the Pels dominating in the paint. They outscored the Sixers 56-34 inside, and the lack of size and rim protection for Philly made it that much easier. 

The Pels also got elite production from the bench unit. Karlo Matkovic, the 6’10 stretch big, had 19 points off the bench with eight rebounds and three assists. 

Antonio Reeves had 17 points off the bench and was unconscious from outside the arc, making his first five three-pointers. 

The Sixers were led by Jared Butler and Justin Edwards who accounted for 19 points apiece. The entire team struggled offensively, only shooting 39.1% from the floor and 33.3% from deep. 

The Pels would go on a run late in the third quarter and never look back, beating the Sixers 112-99. 

The Pelicans wouldn’t have another game until Friday, Mar. 28, when the Golden State Warriors came into town. It’s unusual to have a four-day break like this, especially with how compact the NBA schedule is. 

The Warriors were looking to bounce back after suffering two straight losses on the road. Outside of that, the Dubs have been on a heater since acquiring Jimmy Butler III at the trade deadline. 

They came in 7-3 in their last 10 games, and were fourth in the league in defensive rating in that stretch. They are climbing up the ranks in the tough Western Conference. 

The Pels would try all they could to keep them busy at home, but the Warriors have too much depth (111-95). Six players managed to reach double figures on a relatively terrible shooting night. 

The Warriors attempted a whopping 55 three-pointers, more than double the Pels’ total, but only made 13 of them. 

Stephen Curry led the game in scoring with 23 points, but it took him 21 shots. I know the Pels suck this year but Curry, at least act like you care. 

Maybe he just felt bad and tried to give us a free win out of pity. Well, Curry, we don’t need your pity. We need freedom from this torture chamber. 

The game was neck-and-neck up until the fourth, when the Warriors really locked in defensively, holding the Pels to 13 points in the final quarter. 

They also did a phenomenal job moving the ball. All eight of their fourth-quarter field goals were assisted. 

The newly acquired Bruce Brown returned to the lineup for the Pels, scoring 18 points, but overall, the team struggled to buy a basket. 

Starters Kelly Olynyk went 0-7, Jose Alvarado was 4-12 and Jordan Hawkins was 2-10. 

A bright spot for the team has been Louisiana legend, Elfrid Payton. 

The former Ragin’ Cajun has been a beast off the bench the last two games for the Pels. He bounced around from New Orleans to Charlotte, but ended up back here and has produced in his role. 

In the last two games, he’s averaging five points, 12 assists and 5.5 rebounds in only 24 minutes. 

Six games remain in the regular season as the Pels look to finish strong. They’ll be traveling to Los Angeles for a date with the Lakers on Friday, Apr. 4.