The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 111-104 on the road Wednesday night to begin the 2023-24 season. Rallying after being down 28-25 at the end of the first quarter, the Pelicans outscored their Western Conference rival 86-76 during the final three quarters of play to start the season on a high note.
Here’s what went right and what went wrong for the Pelicans on opening night.
The high points for New Orleans
- The Pelicans were shooting the three-ball better than anyone might have expected. Going 43.8% from behind the arc on 32 attempts, C.J. McCollum led the way knocking down 6 of 11 three-point attempts.
- Zion Williamson, healthy to start the season, finished with 23 points – including 20 in the fourth quarter – and seven rebounds. The All-Star power forward even hit a big mid-range shot late in the game, which gives fans a little hope that he may have been working on his range during the offseason.
- Two-way forward Matt Ryan came off the bench in the first half and gave the Pelicans the momentum they needed with three consecutive three-pointers, a rebound, and an assist.
- Jonas Valanciunas picked up right where he left off as a double-double machine. The veteran center had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
The low points for New Orleans
- Turnovers were an issue and very well could have cost them the game if the offense wasn’t so hot. The team’s 21 turnovers resulted in 28 points for the Grizzlies.
- Despite outrebounding Memphis 52-37, the Pelicans lost the scoring battle in the paint, 50-46 in favor of the Grizzlies.
- Couldn’t contain Desmond Bane as the fourth-year guard went off for 31 points on 50% from the field. What was more frustrating than Bane’s nice showing was that the Pelicans allowed him to shoot multiple threes uncontested.
- Couldn’t contain Jaren Jackson, Jr. on defense – at least in the first half. The big man was able to get up for five blocks in the first 24 minutes. On the other side of the coin, the Pelicans limited Jackson to just eight points on offense.
What the coach is saying
Beginning his third season with the Pelicans, head coach Willie Green was pleased with his team’s performance and the effort he saw on both sides of the ball.
“Everyone that came in to play played hard and collectively. Our group came in to play defense and it is hard to win in this building. It’s the beauty in our offense, making sure everybody was touching the ball,” Green said.
When talking about individual performances, Green noted that it took some time for Williamson to get back into the groove after not playing in a regular season game since the first week of January. However, the coach was elated with how the rest of the offense was able to step up.
“Zion was a little out of rhythm, but we’re going to need him to hit some big shots and he did,” Green continued. “I liked our percentage from three tonight. We want to be a mentally tough team and coming here and executing was great. It’s a long season and we have to maintain that identity. These are the moments that these guys are waiting for. It was great to see these guys respond.”
Next up
The Pelicans (1-0) will host the New York Knicks (0-1) for the team’s home opener on Saturday inside the Smoothie King Center. The Grizzlies (0-1) will have their hands full when they welcome the defending champion Denver Nuggets (1-0) to town on Friday. Both games tip off at 6 p.m. CT.
