The Pelicans survived a frantic rally from Miami at home on Friday, avoiding a collapse to hang on for a 110-104 win.
The Good: Late-game execution
The old adage goes that basketball is a make-or-miss-league. When shots go in, coaches and players look like geniuses. When they don’t, the blame comes from all angles.
After taking a lot of criticism for their execution against Dallas late in the game and in overtime on Wednesday, which was a microcosm of the season as a whole, New Orleans responded by executing down the stretch on Friday.
Josh Hart buried a three-pointer to bail out a failed possession before Brandon Ingram knocked down some huge shots. New Orleans still has some work to do to create better looks down the stretch but the shots went in against Miami and, sometimes, that’s all that matters.
Honorable Mentions: Josh Hart, Jrue Holiday
The Bad: Duncan Robinson
Technically, Duncan Robinson was great on Friday. But his greatness was a bad thing for the Pelicans on the night. Robinson finished 8-of-14 from the field with all of those being three-pointers. He was the only player to be any threat for Miami from range on the night but he was lethal, knocking down some huge shots in the fourth quarter as the Heat made their big run.
Honorable Mentions: The end of Zion Williamson’s 20-point streak
The Ball: Shooting cools, but still effective
For the first time in two games, Lonzo Ball did not hit seven three-pointers in a game. But he still finished 3-of-7 from beyond the arc and totaled 16 points with nine rebounds and eight assists. Ball also knocked down a free throw late in the game, which is no small feat for someone who has struggled so mightily at the line in his career.
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