November 10th - New Orleans Pelicans @ Houston Rockets - 4-4

In-Season Tournament play begins for the #Pelicans tonight!

🏀: at Rockets
🕖: 7 pm CT
📺: @BallySportsNO
📻: @995WRNO #PelicansGameday | @SmoothieKing pic.twitter.com/EirkDbOLhY

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 10, 2023

From 4-1 to 4-4, we've been on a loss streak and we all know it. Though there have been exceptions here and there, for the most part the team has looked rough. Shot selection has been horrible, we've been giving up rebounds at a rapid pace, and as a result the defense is getting shredded on second chance points and in transition. There's a lot of low hanging fruit to fix, but it seems like right now we have neither the drive nor the personnel to fix it.

Houston are also playing well at the moment. This is not going to be an easy game.

The positive side - at least to some extent - is that Zion has been upgraded from OUT for personal reasons to questionable, and Naji has been upgraded from OUT to doubtful. So at least we're seeing some progress on getting guys back, even if they may not be back tonight necessarily.

Let's find out if they guys can start putting their ducks in a row.

Any update on Herb?

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Originally Posted by Freyfamilyreuni

Any update on Herb?

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He's still just listed as questionable - we usually get a confirmation closer to game time though, so I'll post that if/when it changes.

We need this win. Even though we are at home next 6 games after tonight, those are all very though games and we need win against bad teams if we want to survive this period.
Yes they are on 4 games winning streak, but they also are very flawed team and we need to take advantage of that. If we get outhustled once again, or have one quarter meltdown i think Willie's seat will be hot as it gets..

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Originally Posted by Mrakar

We need this win. Even though we are at home next 6 games after tonight, those are all very though games and we need win against bad teams if we want to survive this period.
Yes they are on 4 games winning streak, but they also are very flawed team and we need to take advantage of that. If we get outhustled once again, or have one quarter meltdown i think Willie's seat will be hot as it gets..

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The problem is that, regardless of who you think has the better roster healthy, we aren't healthy. So pointing at another team and saying they're flawed might be true, but are the Pelicans any better with CJ, Trey, Jose, Naji, Herb and Zion missing? Absolutely not.

If Zion and Herb are back, I'll say this should be a win. If they're not, I'm expecting a loss.

Zion Williamson is here at shootaround pic.twitter.com/gjeYqN2ojQ

— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) November 10, 2023

Am told Zion will play tonight. https://t.co/UVHa9I46Ii

— Christian Clark (@cclark_13) November 10, 2023

Zion's playing.

Herb Jones (right fibula contusion) and Naji Marshall (right knee contusion) both ruled OUT tonight vs. Houston.

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 10, 2023

Jokic shall be condemned for this

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

Herb Jones (right fibula contusion) and Naji Marshall (right knee contusion) both ruled OUT tonight vs. Houston.

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 10, 2023

Jokic shall be condemned for this

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Do you think it was intentional?

Here we goooo

some defense from Daniels and Hawkins maybe?

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Originally Posted by ramsters60

some defense from Daniels and Hawkins maybe?

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When does Daniels not play defense?

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Originally Posted by donato

Do you think it was intentional?

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No, but I don't care really lmao

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Originally Posted by donato

When does Daniels not play defense?

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Hawkins and Daniels both do. Weird thing to say imo

Rockets have very little in the way of elite rim protection. Sengun is a very good player but he's not really an elite glass cleaner or shot blocker, and their best backup at that spot is Boban, who is foul prone and immobile.

Tonight should be a JV and Zion night. Attacking the basket should be the absolute priority. Use that gravity to open up shooters and bomb threes. Anything else should only come to bail out broken possessions and on rare occasions to make shot go over exceptional defense.

First play, Zion to the hoop, gets FTs.

Yeah, like that.

Also, this court is an abomination

Nice feed to JV from BI

JV from 3 and then Zion gets a block on the other end

Look, Zion, I know you're not a 100% FT shooter and that's fine but 1/4 is not a good enough start. Good on you for getting the FTs, but 50% is the bare minimum.

I dont care one way or another about the in season playoff or whatever its called, but I actively hate what they did to the court with an unreasonably strong passion

Going to the rack every possession and it's working. He's missed a lot of them, but Zion's getting a ton of foul calls early - putting other guys in foul trouble - and both he and Jonas have been scoring well on those attempts.

BI gets to the rack and scores

We're 6/6 from the floor

How is that only 2 fouls on Brooks? We clearly saw he made 3 fouls...
Zion trying on defense, nice to see. He needs to make his free throws though.

BI went to pull up for a contested 20 footer and visibly caught himself and passed out there. I feel so proud.

Great defense by Dyson forcing the miss there

Zion used his explosion to go get an offensive board! nice

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Originally Posted by Mrakar

How is that only 2 fouls on Brooks? We clearly saw he made 3 fouls...
Zion trying on defense, nice to see. He needs to make his free throws though.

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i was about to say that zion is engaged on defense...

A pair of pretty ugly turnovers in the last few plays and we're not getting anywhere near the same quality of looks now Zion's sat. Guys need to slow down a little once they're in the half court. See if we can get some threes up from guys to generate a little bit of defensive attention off-ball.

My goodness these in season tournament courts are a pain to watch

WTF is that Hawkins, the guy made some threes and you give him space, not even try? For that he should get benched....

Zion redeeming himself a little for starting 0/4 on FTs, going 4/4 since.

Zion just carving them up. They have nothing for him.

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

Zion just carving them up. They have nothing for him.

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Lmao and as I say that, he turns it over. Sorry for the curse, man

So far it looks like this in season tourney has help them be engaged. 82 games is a lot. If this helps I’m for it. Zion should focus on his handle only next offseason.

the good news is Zion is scoring at will, the bad news is he cant play 48 minutes and i have no idea where the rest of the scoring will come from

1/5 from 3 is really painful right now

We aren't taking many, and we're not making them. It's an issue. Need to focus on generating them.

Man Seabron is not NBA player. Guy can't do anyhing, on both sides of the floor....It will be really though to get this one as shorthanded as we are.

i dont like this forcing it to zion when the defense is just focus on him....move the ball around some and get others involved to force the defense to open the floor for him...

brooks trying to play bully ball then missing the shots after lol...

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

1/5 from 3 is really painful right now

We aren't taking many, and we're not making them. It's an issue. Need to focus on generating them.

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I repeat

Hawkins and Ryan both had shots in that possession that they passed up and it ended up with an awkward off hand Seabron layup attempt in traffic. Went nowhere, of course.

I feel like I'm going mad, shoot the three when you get it! You have the space on some of these and you're just choosing not to!

Thank you for saving that possession JV.

We have entered the twilight zone of bad offense.

fred not giving hawkins no room to shoot lol...hawkins have teams on notice...

Look, maths isn't difficult. 3 is a larger number than 2. If they take three times as many attempts as you do from behind the arc, even if they aren't particularly efficient, they're going to outscore you.

And when you're at the point where you ate them alive for 15 minutes in the paint, they're crowding it now, they're hyper alert.

Pass the ball out, and then the people on the perimeter, shoot it.

Zion what the hell was that

Serious question, when does Zion ever make entry passes to Ingram in the post. Why is Ingram posting up. Why is Zion passing it to him in that spot. It's bad enough when Zion gets played in the post, now BI is doing it?

Hawkins is having worst game of the season on both sides of the floor. Ingram is having worst game as creator as i have ever seen from him. Only bright spot was Zion and he is now also loosing it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mrakar

We need this win. Even though we are at home next 6 games after tonight, those are all very though games and we need win against bad teams if we want to survive this period.
Yes they are on 4 games winning streak, but they also are very flawed team and we need to take advantage of that. If we get outhustled once again, or have one quarter meltdown i think Willie's seat will be hot as it gets..

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its getting close...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mrakar

Hawkins is having worst game of the season on both sides of the floor. Ingram is having worst game as creator as i have ever seen from him. Only bright spot was Zion and he is now also loosing it.


its getting close...

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We've been outscored by 15 in this quarter, there's no ''close''. It's a meltdown. The score in this quarter right now is 24-9 and there are only 3 minutes remaining.

Green really has Zion's number.

Shout out to BI for that last minute 3. Kinda helped cushion the blow of that awful quarter a little.

That's his 4th made 3 on the season!