Pelicans Reactions: Zion-less Pelicans limp into All-Star break with loss
After losing Zion Williamson as a late scratch, the Pelicans looked lifeless offensively against the Heat, falling 103-93 on Thursday.
Williamson was scratched just before the game with a toe injury, offsetting Miami being without Bam Adebayo on the night as well. But the Pelicans looked far more lost offensively, shooting 39.8% from the field and 25.6% from the 3-point line.
Much like Wednesday, the Pelicans tried to make a late push to get back into the game in the fourth quarter but Jimmy Butler closed out the game for the Heat to earn the win.
Brandon Ingram led the way with 17 points, Steven Adams added 15 and Nickeil Alexander-Walker 13 off the bench. Butler finished with a game-high 29 points.
The Good: The break is here
The All-Star break could not come at a better time for the Pelicans. At virtually no point this season did they find a groove and every winning run was matched by a larger losing run, leading to the team entering the break six game under .500. The Pelicans are far too talented to be six games under .500. The team has some serious soul-searching to do heading into the break before starting the second half of the regular season and Thursday just further solidified that.
The Bad: The offense
In New Orleans defense on Thursday, losing Williamson just before the game made it an uphill climb offensively and it was almost always going to lead to a poor performance. But the Pelicans looked awful offensively most of the night. It was impressive and hard to explain that New Orleans was in the game late considering how inefficient they were shooting the ball. Miami only made one more three than the Pelicans, a large reason why the Heat never pulled away.
Lonzo Ball: A dud to finish off a strong half of the season
Overall, Lonzo Ball had a great first half of the season. Thursday was not an example of how good he has been this season. With the Pelicans lacking punch offensively, Ball tried to force his hand too much, leading to a rare inefficient scoring night. Ball tallied just 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting overall and 2-of-11 shooting from 3-point range. He also only added four rebounds and an assist.
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