For perhaps the first time in the bubble, the New Orleans Pelicans played with the desperation of a team clinging to its playoff lives. All it took was a halftime deficit to the lowly Wizards and a spark from an unlikely source.
Nicolo Melli, a 29-year old “rookie,” was signed by the Pelicans for his shooting. On Friday, it was his defense that changed the tide. Melli and fellow reserve Frank Jackson turned up the intensity on Washington and the result was a big third quarter for the Pelicans that turned into a 118-107 win.
“I think it was the difference in the game,” head coach Alvin Gentry said of Jackson and Melli’s defense. “(Assistant coach) Fred Vinson said right from the start…one of the things that we wanted to get back to is we wanted to get back to being aggressive defensively, attacking the screen and rolls, being into the ball, having good weakside help. I thought that we did that tonight.
“I thought that we did that in the third quarter. The first five minutes, we always talk about how important that is and I thought we did a good job with that.”
Melli checked in at the 7:48 mark in the third period with the Pelicans trailing 72-65. By the time he checked out 90 seconds into the fourth quarter, New Orleans led 97-85 and had grabbed control of the game.
It was Melli and Jackson that started picking up the Wizard guards 94 feet from the basket, slowing their offense down to a slog. New Orleans immediately went on an 11-2 run upon Melli’s insertion, a run that included a three-pointer from the Italian forward after he entered the game having hit just one of his 14 attempts from range inside the bubble.
“I think we just needed a little bit of energy,” Melli said. “I think Frank and I, we brought it to the team and then of course Josh (Hart) but Josh always brings to the team. We just needed to pick up Washington from their baseline and we did it and I think we did a pretty good job. We needed this win. This was the most important thing, no matter how, no matter what. And we did it.”
Melli’s three-pointer to put the Pelicans up 83-76 with 3:43 left capped off a spurt that saw him score eight of the team’s 12 points in a span of just over two minutes. More impressively, he recorded three blocks as New Orleans, who entered the night with just seven blocks in total inside the bubble, finished with eight against the Wizards.
Jackson, meanwhile, continued creating havoc for the Wizards’ undermanned backcourt. Despite not being credited with a steal on the night, Jackson’s impact on the game was felt as his plus-minus of +30 in 20 minutes was best on the team and just the 12th time this season a player has accomplished that feat, per ESPN Stats & Info.
“I just think we were aggressive, man,” Jackson said. “I think we were who we were, who we are as a team, who we try to play as. When we apply the pressure and get up into people and pick them up, it causes problems so I think we did a good job.”
Melli and Jackson helped the Pelicans save face after a first half that looked all too familiar. The Wizards shot 51.2% from the field and hit seven of their 13 long-range attempts. Only the Pelicans shooting twice as many free throws helped them stay within two points at the break at 56-54.
And as Melli and Jackson set the tone in the third quarter, it was Jrue Holiday that picked up the load and carried it the rest of the way. The veteran guard missed just one shot in the second half as he finished with a game-high 28 points.
“I think we controlled (the game) a little more defensively,” Holiday said, “picking up full-court, being able to get them down in the clock and when they’re trying to get into their play, there’s 14, 12 seconds left on the shot clock which benefits us. I think just doing that in the third quarter and continuing doing that throughout the second half really helped us get back into the game and then push the lead.”
“We just needed to do something because we were down two at halftime and we had to win this game,” Melli added. “It was just a matter of energy, I think. A rookie has to bring energy so that’s what I did. I think we just need a little bit more energy. We know how to play defense. We just need to go back and play with a lot of energy. That’s what we did in the second half and you saw the result.”
Seven Pelicans finished in double figures in scoring with Brandon Ingram overcoming a poor shooting night to finish with 17. JJ Redick, who also shot just 3-of-11 from deep, finished with 15 and Derrick Favors scored eight of his 12 points in the second half. Jackson (13), Melli (10) and Josh Hart (10) contributed to the Pelicans’ bench outscoring Washington’s 44-17.
New Orleans’ playoff hopes are still mathematically alive, though only barely. Memphis’ win on Friday further damaged New Orleans’ chances as they now sit 2.5 games out of the eighth seed and 1.5 games out of the ninth seed with three games left.
Sunday’s showdown with San Antonio, who is just a half-game ahead of the Pelicans, will prove to be the do-or-die moment for New Orleans in the bubble. But Friday’s glimpse of a Pelicans side that looked the closest it has to its pre-bubble selves could prove to be a turning point for the final three games.
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