New Orleans — It may not have been 149 points, but the Pelicans found a way to get the win Tuesday night, despite putting-up some of their lowest offensive numbers of the season. In their first two games, they were averaging 140 points, 56 % shooting from the floor, 46.4% from beyond the arc and 35.5 assists. In their 116-109 win over the Clippers, the Pelicans shot 43% and just 25% from three, and had 22 assists.
“I thought we started the game OK and then we decided that we were going to make one pass and shoot it, one pass and post up,” said Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry. “We weren’t playing the way we were supposed to be playing. I think that’s what got us in trouble. No ball movement. We’re not a 22 assist team. We’re a 26 or 28 or 30 assist team.”
“We’re starting to see ourselves winning in different ways with three different types of teams,” said Pelicans forward Anthony Davis. “One that’s scrappy tonight, one that likes to run and then another one that also runs at the same time. But it’s a young team that likes to play hard so it’s good for us to get three wins, especially the way that we’re getting them. So like I said, it’s not always going to be perfect but we’ll take every win we can.”
Davis led all scorers with 34 points. He also pulled-down 13 rebounds and blocked 5 shots. As a team, the Pelicans finished with 9 blocks. Elfrid Payton finished with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, while Nikola Mirotic and Julius Randle each added 18 points.
The Pelicans, who are now out to a 3-0 start for the first time since the 2010-2011 season, are back in action Friday when they host the Nets.
