NEW ORLEANS — With three minutes, 33 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and his team fighting to maintain a late lead, New Orleans Pelicans coach Willie Green tried something new.
Coming out of a timeout, Green rolled with a five-man unit that hadn’t played the entire game: Zion Williamson in the position of leader; Herb Jones, Brandon Ingram and Trey Murphy on the wings; And Larry Nance Jr. In the center. CJ McCollumthe teams veteran chefwent to the bench.
Suddenly, it was on a unit that had only played five minutes all season to do something New Orleans has struggled with throughout the campaign: close out a close game in the final five minutes.
But at a pivotal moment, in one of the most important games of the season and a potential playoff preview, this group of Pelicans executed on both ends to secure a 112-104 victory against the LA Clippers in front of a raucous Smoothie King Center crowd. This victory allowed New Orleans (40-26) to be two games behind the fourth seed. Clippers (42-24) while ensuring the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Pelicans also gave themselves a lead of a game and a half on Phoenix Suns And Kings of Sacramentotwo teams directly behind them in the Western Conference standings.
“It was fantastic. We’re all very proud of the way we responded, taking care of the home floor,” Green said. “Our guys, collectively, made winning play after winning play. It was a fun game to participate in.
While every win counts at this point in the season, this was the one the Pelicans needed for their psyche. New Orleans was desperate for a quality home win against a top opponent, one they hadn’t picked since their win over the Minnesota Timberwolves early December. Since then, the Pelicans have made a habit of racking up big wins on the road, only to come home and lay an egg. The most recent example came Wednesday, when the Pels, after reeling off three straight road wins, were outscored in a 116-95 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
This time, the Pelicans were fully aware of what was at stake and reacted as you would expect of a good team in this situation. In Friday’s win, Williamson totaled 34 points, seven rebounds and three steals, outplaying the Clippers’ stars. Kawhi Leonard And Paul Georges.
Ingram had 13 points, five rebounds and seven assists, and the Pelicans had a total of 43 points off their bench.
Regardless of which team gets home-court advantage, there’s a good chance the Pelicans and Clippers will meet in the first round of the playoffs. While the absence of the Los Angeles leader James HardenThis was undoubtedly a major factor. Friday’s game provided a first glimpse of the small adjustments that often determine the outcome of playoff games — or an entire series. Given the Clippers’ experience and the Pelicans’ youth, one might expect these nuanced advantages to work in the Clippers’ favor.
But on this night, it was the Pelicans who did all the little things around the edges to make the ultimate difference. And none were more significant than Green’s bold decision to bench McCollum and roll with the big-man lineup in the final three and a half minutes.
Green started a similar lineup earlier in the season while McCollum recovered from an ankle injury, with Dyson Daniels currently sidelined in Murphy’s place and normal starter. Jonas Valančiūnas instead of Nance. But throwing that five-man group into a late-game situation — and sending McCollum, the most experienced player on the team, but who struggled with his shooting in this game and was a potential defensive liability against Leonard or George – was the kind of person. It’s a courageous move that the coach must be comfortable making in a playoff context.
This is especially important if these two teams meet again. While much of the attention will be on stars like Leonard and Williamson, the chess match between Green and Clippers coach Tyronn Lue looms large. Many of Lue’s peers consider him one of the best tactical minds in the world. NBA. He has a long track record of making adjustments to change momentum in the playoffs, dating back to his days managing LeBron James. Riders. Lue will surely find ways to throw the kitchen sink at Williamson and whatever else the Pelicans try to do in an extended series.
Green’s response in these big moments will be key. On Friday, he showed he was capable of going toe-to-toe with one of the NBA’s greatest minds. And he did it by addressing one of his alleged flaws among his critics: A resistance to flexibility with lineups and his game plan. Aligning with Zion, surrounded by wings and Nance, gave Williamson the space he needed to operate, and he generated some good looks for his team when the time came to put the Clippers away for good.
Pelicans possessions after joining the Zion-Herb-BI-Trey-Nance alignment with 3:33 left:
— Nance lay-up
— Trey missed 3
— Nance lay-up
— Zion makes 1 of 2 free throws
— Zion lay-up– Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) March 16, 2024
The Pelicans’ offense at the end of the game drove his fans crazy all season. Prior to Friday’s win, the Pelicans were ranked 26th in offensive scoring minutes. Instead of hoping things would change, Green pushed the right buttons to make sure they did.
“There are times when you have to make uncomfortable decisions,” Green said. “I believe that’s where the most growth is happening. It’s when you’re uncomfortable and have to do something that’s against the norm. Sometimes that’s what the moment calls for.
Of course, Williamson’s play on both ends of the floor cannot be overstated. He was easily the best player in this game, and it wasn’t just because of his dominant scoring in the paint.
In recent weeks, Williamson has taken on the challenge of being a more disruptive defender, which has been a game-changer for a Pels unit that already ranked in the top 10 in the league despite Williamson’s issues on that end. early in the season. Against the Clippers, Williamson defended Leonard most of the night, constantly making life difficult for one of the league’s best isolation scorers. Although Leonard still managed to score 23 points, Williamson moved his feet, used his body and avoided fouls when facing the Clippers star.
Zion vs Kawhi 1v1 pic.twitter.com/GQv4rhRKMm
– Pelicans Movie Room (@PelsFilmRoom) March 16, 2024
At one point late in the fourth quarter, Murphy offered to give Williamson a break and take the game back to Leonard for a few possessions. But Williamson refused. “No, I got it,” he told Murphy.
“That’s what you want from your stars.” You want them to rise to the challenge,” Murphy said. “He understands what time it is and what time of the season it is. If you want to win in the playoffs and you want to be a star in the playoffs, you have to play on both sides of the ball.
Williamson isn’t the only Pelicans star embracing this end. Ingram has also made huge strides, focusing more on his defensive physicality and attention to detail while Williamson takes on more of the primary ball-handler role on offense.
But the most important figure of this team in defense remains Jones. He punctuated another record-breaking night on that side midway through the third quarter with one of the most incredible plays you’ll see in an NBA game this season.
After the Pels gave up an offensive rebound in the lane, the ball found a wide-open George at the top of the key. As George made his shooting move, Jones sprinted under the basket, extended with his long reach and crushed George’s 3-pointer before calmly throwing down a two-handed dunk on the other end.
FREAKING JONES GRASS.
DEFEND THIS MAN NOW pic.twitter.com/aJLqNEMMvM
– New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 16, 2024
how it started and how it ended pic.twitter.com/d19aNDubB4
– New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 16, 2024
“(That) might have been the best defensive play I’ve seen Herb (make),” Williamson said.
“Having him on our team is a true blessing,” Green added. “They don’t make a lot of guys like it.”
Talent has never been a question for this Pelicans team. As they showed again on Friday, they have one of the most complete teams in the NBA.
But taking down a team like the Clippers requires mental focus, proper adjustments and total buy-in from everyone defensively. Doing it in a regular season game in March is a lot different than doing it in April against a Clippers team with legitimate title aspirations. However, the Pelicans showed Friday that the gap between these teams might be smaller than it was a few months ago, if at all.
The more the Pelicans adapt to big games like this, the more this potential playoff run seems like must-see TV.
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(Top photo of Zion Williamson: Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images)
