Pelicans Reactions: Kyrie Irving dazzles as Pelicans losing streak extends to four
Kyrie Irving scored 32 points on Tuesday, including a number of big shots down the stretch, to hand New Orleans its fourth-straight loss, 134-129.
Despite New Orleans going on a 16-0 run in the first quarter and leading for the vast majority of the opening 28 minutes, Brooklyn seized control of the game in the third quarter and hardly looked back. The Nets built a 13-point third-quarter lead after trailing by as many as 12 points in the first half.
A Naji Marshall 3-pointer to open the finale frame gave New Orleans its lone lead in the fourth quarter but Brooklyn quickly moved back ahead. The Pelicans executed offensively down the stretch through Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram but could not get the stops defensively to complete the comeback.
Williamson finished with 33 points, Ingram added 27 and Naji Marshall and Lonzo Ball had 15 apiece.
The Good: Kyrie Irving
Sometimes teams do everything right and it doesn't matter. The Pelicans, largely speaking, played well down the stretch against Brooklyn, including on the defensive end. Naji Marshall closed the game in the backcourt alongside Ball in place of Eric Bledsoe and was tasked with defending Kyrie Irving. Marshall did a more than admirable job on Irving defensively, forcing him into multiple tough, contested shots. But Irving has long established himself as both an elite shot-maker and an elite closer and made shot after shot down the stretch.
The Bad: Wasting a good shooting night
Getting 12 3-pointers on 36.4% shooting feels like a great shooting night from this Pelicans team of late. That New Orleans couldn't take advantage of that and pick up a win feels like a big opportunity lost. Overall, the Pelicans shot well from the field on the night. However, some costly 15-of-24 from the line in a game that came down to the wire also feels like a good way to waste a decent shooting night as well.
Lonzo Ball: Shooting stroke returning
After two poor shooting games since returning from the injury, Ball returned to form on Tuesday. He shot 6-of-11 overall from the field and 3-of-6 from the 3-point line for 15 points. Ball also added four rebounds, three assists and two steals. He still only played 26 minutes but Tuesday should mark the final time he'll be under a minutes restriction moving forward.
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