NBA
NEW ORLEANS — It took more than 12 minutes in real time to sort through the final 1.5 seconds of regulation in Tuesday’s overtime thriller between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Memphis Grizzlies. Ten-year NBA veteran CJ McCollum called it “the most bizarre game I’ve ever been a part of.”
During what seemed like the longest 1.5 seconds in NBA history, the Pelicans:
But as the Pelicans spent all that time dealing with a roller coaster of emotions as each of these plays were resolved, they also were forced to confront an uncomfortable recurring theme staring them right in the face: They were on the verge of blowing yet another game they controlled most of the way.
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In the end, the Grizzlies, much as they did a week ago on the Pelicans’ home floor in Ja Morant’s return from suspension, made enough plays on both ends to escape with a 116-115 win in overtime. The Pelicans have now lost three of their last four outings, with all three defeats coming because they failed to close out winnable games in the fourth quarter.
For once, the fatal flaw with this team hasn’t been injuries or instability within the lineup. It’s been the inability to make the necessary plays at the most critical points of the game.
New Orleans held double-digit leads in the fourth quarter of both games against Memphis before squandering them away. On Tuesday, the Pelicans led by four with less than a minute remaining and still found a way to lose. Their other loss in this stretch against the Houston Rockets last Saturday came despite the Pels leading by three with less than four minutes remaining in the game. Overall, the Pels are 0-6 in games decided by three points or fewer, just 5-8 in “clutch” games this season (defined as when the margin is within five points in the final five minutes) and have squandered double-digit leads in eight of their 14 losses.
“When the game got tougher, they picked up their level of physicality. They made it difficult on us,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said after Tuesday’s loss. “This is where we have to grow. We’ve got to learn to get to our spots. Execute with force and pace. Make solid passes. And when we get to the free-throw line, make our free throws.”
Even with some of their inexplicable losses lately, the Pels are still 17-14 through 31 games, only two games worse than where they were at this point last season, when they were seen as one of the league’s feel-good stories. That speaks to the heightened expectations this group carried entering this season.
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It also shows how easily the pendulum can swing from euphoria to agony during any given stretch of games. If the Pelicans handled their business to close out their last three losses, they’d have the third-most wins in the Western Conference. The complaints about coaching deficiencies and an absence of closers would be drowned out by optimism.
However, it would be disingenuous to pretend these last three losses are an aberration. New Orleans has looked shaky in late-game situations all season, even when Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and McCollum are in the lineup. When the pressure rises, this group’s lack of experience together — the big three have only logged 23 games together in nearly two full seasons — becomes a true deterrent.
It was especially evident in their two losses to Memphis. When things got tight, the Grizzlies, despite Morant’s 25-game absence to start the season, looked like a group with experience in hostile environments and an understanding of how to get the right looks for their three best players (Morant, Jackson and Desmond Bane). On the other end, the Pelicans looked hesitant and uncertain as they failed miserably in their attempts to space the floor and make the game easier for one another.
“We’ve just got to figure it out,” Ingram said after Tuesday’s loss. “Figure out what’s the best shot and what movement we can have on the floor to cause the defense to do something different instead of being stagnant. We’ll figure it out.”
The lack of execution late in games has made a Pelicans squad stacked with entertaining offensive weapons into a team that’s painful to watch in fourth quarters. For the season, they’ve been outscored by 68 points in the game’s final frame, fifth-worst in the NBA. During “clutch” minutes, they possess the league’s third-worst offensive rating, worst turnover percentage and tied for the worst free-throw percentage. Just about everything that can go wrong has gone wrong late in games.
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“Down the stretch of the fourth, I think we got a little congested,” McCollum said. “(We shot) tough 2s, not a lot of spacing. We’ve got to do a better job of freeing each other up, setting good screens (and) cutting hard.”
Many of those failures fall at the feet of Ingram, McCollum and Williamson. While each has sprinkled moments of individual brilliance in the season’s first 31 games, they’ve yet to be at their best collectively when the team needs them to be. Ingram and Williamson, for example, have more turnovers than assists in “clutch” minutes. (McCollum has only played in five of the team’s 13 “clutch” games due to his partially collapsed lung injury earlier this season.)
“I guess the spacing a little bit,” Ingram said when asked why the Pelicans have been unable to generate easier looks late in games. “Just being decisive. I think we’ve struggled with being decisive in those moments. Trying to figure out where’s the lane to drive, what’s the shot to take and who should take it. That’s all things that are correctable and controllable that we can go back and talk about.
“We’ve got to continue to go through this and watch this film and figure out how we can execute late-game and what’s the easiest shot on the basketball floor,” he continued. “It might not come from me, Z or CJ. But what’s the easiest shot on the floor?”
GO DEEPER
As Pelicans grow and mature, head coach Willie Green will be called on to do the same
Part of the frustration for the players and fans alike is that this group has looked dominant in certain spurts when it all comes together. The problem has been keeping those stretches going for more than a few quarters or even a few games. Consistency will be essential as this group fights to climb the standings in a stacked West.
“We haven’t found the balance yet. We’ve got to put each other in the position where we can be really, really effective. I don’t think we’ve done it yet,” Ingram said. “We’ve had some success, but it hasn’t been sustainable.”
In the coming days, the Pelicans will be challenged to handle something they’ve already dealt with a few times this season. When a team goes through the same problem repeatedly during a season, thoughts from the media, fans or even certain executives don’t matter. It’s all about the people in those meeting rooms at the practice facility speaking candidly with one another and addressing what’s really behind some of these problems. The Pelicans’ team meeting after a four-game losing streak earlier this season led to them playing some of their best basketball in the immediate aftermath.
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With the talent New Orleans has assembled, there’s no excuse for this team not to eventually grow into one of the West’s most dangerous playoff teams. But getting ready for those games and that stage requires a certain level of mental fortitude and physical toughness. To feel most comfortable in that physical and mental state, the challenges must come early and often from others on the team.
It will also be important for the team to address some of the behind-the-scenes criticism from teammates and coaches that may come with more exposure and higher expectations. This new high-pressure world is where the Pelicans will reside as long as they can stay (relatively) healthy. Maintaining their spot in it will require the team to set a standard and call out anyone who doesn’t live up to it.
“The biggest part is having a level of honesty about it,” Green said. “Why is this happening? Watching film on it. Getting on the floor in practice and working on it. Then, showing up the next day. That’s the goal for us. That’s the deal. Show up the next day (and) own it.”
(Top photo of Zion Williamson: Stephen Lew / USA Today)
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Will Guillory is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering the New Orleans Pelicans. Before joining The Athletic, he was a writer at The Times-Picayune/NOLA Media Group, and he’s been on the Pelicans beat since 2016. He is a New Orleans native. Follow William on Twitter @WillGuillory
