New Orleans seemed destined to crush a third straight opponent Friday, once again taking a huge first-half lead against an Eastern Conference team. The Pelicans recently beat Indiana and Toronto by a combined 68 points, then built a massive 35-point first-half advantage against short-handed Philadelphia. However, the 76ers went on a long run in the second half, before New Orleans finally won. The visitors sealed a 2-0 start to a three-game road trip when Herb Jones drained his only bucket of the game, a corner three-pointer in the final minute. Philadelphia won the second half 61-40, but could not overcome its 29-point deficit at the break.
Z > Philadelphia.
Zion Williamson entered Friday’s game with a career ERA of 33.0 against Philadelphia, his highest mark against any club. Williamson may not have reached that final number (23 points), but his first half was filled with contributions that put the Pelicans in the lead, including 14 points. More importantly, his stat line featured several other strengths (season-best 12 rebounds, two steals, three blocks) during a very active 34-minute outing.
Almost perfect “cut” from The Knife.
Playing not far from his hometown of Atlantic City, Naji Marshall delivered one of his most valuable performances this season, this time at the other end of the court from his usual best work. The fourth-year forward, starting defender, joined New Orleans’ barrage in the first half by going 3/3 from three-point range and scoring 11 points, then added eight more (of just 40 in the second period by the Pels). for an evening of 19 points in just 19 minutes. NOLA outscored Philly by 23 points during Marshall’s stints, but lost by 15 when he was on the bench. Marshall shot 7/8 from the field and made all four of his three-point attempts.
The heavyweights of the first quarter.
As of Friday, New Orleans was the second-best team in the NBA since Jan. 1 in the first quarter, with a net rating of plus-15.0 (behind only Minnesota at 20.3). For a third straight time during their winning streak, the Pelicans got off to a strong offensive start, tallying 36 points on Friday, while limiting the 76ers to just 15. Philadelphia struggled extremely all night in halfback situations. -field, capable of breaking through a little offensively later. forcing turnovers and creating an unstable New Orleans defense. Five different Pelicans players scored three points in the first quarter.
34: Philadelphia’s first-half points, tied for the fewest points allowed by New Orleans in a game this season through the first 24 minutes.
20: New Orleans road wins, nearly sealing a winning record for the season. The Pelicans will actually play 42 away competitions in 2023-24 due to the in-season tournament, so they need two more triumphs to finish above .500.
10: Seasons since New Orleans swept a season series against Philadelphia, dating back to 2013-14, the first campaign as the renamed Pelicans. This season also represented a low point for the “Process” Sixers, going 19-63.
