Pelicans are extremely particular birds, not only because they are considered terrestrial, but because of their way of feeding, since they swallow their prey whole. Well, It is a behavior from the animal kingdom that is being replicated in the NBA.
The New Orleans Pelicans are destroying their prey in an atrocious way. They have just scored 133 points against the Sacramento Kings, in a game in which they came to win by 50 points difference. This season, they are 4-0 against the California Kings.
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS STATS
Willie Green achieved his 100th victory as a coach and his team seems to be serious in recent weeks: they won five of the last six games, including the victory against the Timberwolves in Minnesota (Western leader).
Be careful with these data, which are more than compelling. Taking into account the last 14 games, they have the 2nd net rating in the NBA (12.6), the 2nd defensive net rating (108.5) and the best rebounding percentage with 53.1%. Besides, The average margin of victory in those 10 wins was 19.2 points. Chilling.
They are 10-4 in their last 14 games.. They are seventh in their conference, but not by much if they keep this up. Now they will go for the Golden State Warriors and the Denver Nuggets.
THE PELICANS DON’T NEED ZION WILLIAMSON
The Pelicans are scaring the entire league and without using Zion Williamson, the team’s rising star. The inmate could not play against the Kings due to a right quadriceps contusion and it was the third game he missed this season.
NOLA doesn’t seem to need it much. In the three games that Zion did not participate (Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards and Sacramento Kings), The Pelicans took 24 points from their rivals.
The team seems to have adapted to playing without Williamson, the young star with the most absences since his arrival in the league. The offense is not a problem, They have two pillars to replace the beast.
THE STAR DUO OF THE PELICANS
If you count Zion, the Pelicans are one of the few NBA teams that have three players with an average of at least 20 points per game. The others are CJ McCollumwho scored 30 against Sacramento, and Brandon Ingramthe top scorer with 22.3 points per game.
New Orleans ranks ninth in long-range offenselargely thanks to McCollum’s very high shooting percentage, 45.3%, the highest of his career and the second best in the NBA among those who attempted a minimum of 190 shots.
What to say about Ingram? With 50.2% in field goals, he is having the best hand of his career, allowing you to have confidence in taking shots in critical minutes. The fast players they have also make a difference, they are the 5th best team in transition attack.
THE NEW ORLEANS PELICANS DEFENSE IS ELITE
We said that NOLA doesn’t need Zion Williamson as an offensive figure, but not as a big man either. In that sense, Larry Nance Jr. was the big revelation of this season: he has a steal rate of 2.5%, which places him 4th place among all centers in the league in that metric.
In addition to Nance Jr., Jonas Valančiūnas y Herbert Jones They are in a great moment, consolidating a dominant inside game. During the meeting with the Kings, eight players made at least one blocksomething that has only happened twice in the history of the franchise.
However, the area in which the Pelicans excel is in perimeter defense. They are the second best team in the NBA in this section, allowing only 94.6 points per 100 possessions. They have the fourth most steals per game thanks to the speed of Dyson DanielsMcCollum y Jones.
2024-01-09 03:07:42
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