The New Orleans Pelicans grinded out a gutsy, physical victory over the Toronto Raptors at home on Friday. The hosts shot 47 free throws, a franchise record for attempts in regulation, and made 36 of them.
In the fourth quarter alone, the team was 21-for-28 from the line with Brandon Ingram going 7-for-9, including nailing his final four attempts in the last 13 seconds to ice the game while receiving faint MVP chants from the hundreds in attendance on the night.
While the free throw numbers were one of the biggest standouts numbers of the night, head coach Stan Van Gundy pointed out one other significant figure. The Pelicans’ starting backcourt of Lonzo Ball (35 minutes) and Eric Bledsoe (31) played over 66 minutes on the night and did not commit a single turnover.
“To have your two starting guards play over 66 minutes without a turnover against that team and that aggressive defense is phenomenal,” Van Gundy said after the win.
Bledsoe came up with a number of big plays down the stretch, burying a free throw with 42.3 seconds left to put New Orleans up 116-113. That play came roughly a minute after he nearly had a game-tying basket after a steal led to a missed contested free throw. Just prior to his go-ahead three, Bledsoe forced a turnover from OG Anunoby to get the Pelicans possession of the ball once more.
Circling back to the turnovers, though, Bledsoe and Ball accomplished a rather rare feat on the night. While the last team to have a starting backcourt play at least 30 minutes and finish with zero turnovers was the Heat last March with the Heat’s Kendrick Nunn and Duncan Robinson, the last time the feat happened against the Raptors was on April 5, 2019, when Charlotte’s Kemba Walker and Dwayne Bacon did so in a two-point Charlotte win.
In the franchise’s history, the last Pelican duo to accomplish the feat was much further back. On December 11, 2012, the duo of Austin Rivers (34) and Greivis Vàsquez (30) finished with zero turnovers in a 77-70 loss to the Wizards.
On the season, the Pelicans are one of the worst teams in the league, ranking 21st with 16.3 turnovers per game. Ball is averaging 2.7 per game while Bledsoe is averaging 1.7.