The Bad: The first half
As good as the second half and third quarter was, the first half was particularly ugly. For the second game in a row, the team had a pretty listless defensive performance. The Wizards, who came into the game averaging barely 100 points per game inside the bubble and continue to be without Bradley Beal and Davis Bertans, scored 56 points in the first two periods and led at the break.
Fortunately, unlike on Thursday, the Pelicans snapped out of their funk. New Orleans could hardly be blamed for not having much fight early on with their postseason hopes effectively ended between Thursday’s loss to the Kings and Friday’s results before their game. But in building habits toward the future, the first half was concerning.
Honorable mentions: JJ Redick’s shooting, Brandon Ingram’s shooting