Pelicans vs. Magic Reactions: The good, the bad and the Lonzo Ball

The Pelicans snapped their losing streak in convincing fashion on Thursday, routing the Magic from nearly start to finish for a 135-100 victory.

New Orleans tied a season-high for points in a quarter in the second period, pouring in 45 points. Eric Bledsoe caught fire in the quarter, burying all three of his triples in succession. Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson combined for 38 first-half points as the Pelicans led 74-52 at the break.

The Pelicans did not let up in the third, a trait that has plagued them at times this season. Ingram stayed hot, finishing the night with 29 points in 29 minutes as New Orleans won the third period 34-19, building up a 42-point lead in the process.

The starters checked out late in the third quarter for New Orleans and never returned as the Pelicans cruised to the win. Zion Williamson had 20 points in 23 minutes, Bledsoe finished with 15 points on five 3-pointers and Lonzo Ball had six points, four rebounds and 12 assists.

The Good: Smiles

It's been a grueling four-game losing streak for the Pelicans largely because the team was in contention in the fourth quarter in each of the contests. The toll it took on the team mentally was apparent in many of the faces on the players and Stan Van Gundy following Tuesday's loss to the Brooklyn Nets. With that in mind, playing - and winning - the way the Pelicans did on Thursday got a monkey off the team's back. Players were smiling and enjoying playing basketball for seemingly the first time in weeks. The hope is that this performance and mentality carries over to Saturday in one of the biggest games remaining on the schedule. Honorable mentions: Wenyen Gabriel, Naji Marshall, Willy Hernangomez

The Bad: Nothing

While there were a couple of small things in the first quarter that wasn't great, like the transition defense, it's not worth highlighting it in a game the Pelicans won in blowout fashion.

Lonzo Ball: Shooting struggles, but overall impactful

Ball still hasn't entirely gotten his shot back since coming back from injury, going 2-of-8 from the field on Thursday and 2-of-5 from the 3-point line. However, he handed out 12 assists, anchored the Pelicans offense all night and finished with a plus-minus of plus-34, second-best on the team, in 25 minutes.

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