Pelicans grind out win over Pistons for fifth straight win

You are not going to have your top form on a nightly basis, particularly offensively, in the NBA.

In the midst of a four-game win streak, the New Orleans Pelicans have won in attractive fashion, shooting the ball well, sharing the ball well and finishing at the rim while finishing games well.

Wednesday night, the Pelicans did not shoot it well and did not share it as well as they have recently.

The lowly Detroit Pistons came in and played very hard and pushed the Pelicans to the limit.

Fortunately, the Pelicans limited Detroit with solid defense and that helped New Orleans prevail 104-98 over the Pistons at Smoothie King Center for their fifth straight win.

It was never easy as the Pelicans again played without Brandon Ingram and Herb Jones.

Detroit took a 28-27 lead after one quarter but the Pelicans played by far their best quarter in the second quarter to take a 56-43 lead at halftime and the feeling was that the Pistons would fold.

The lead grew to 16 points but Detroit would not fold, playing physically throughout. The Pistons pulled to within 79-73 heading to the fourth quarter. Jose Alvarado was knocked out of the game in the quarter with a rib contusion.

Detroit pulled to within 97-94 with 2:20 to play in the game but New Orleans would not relinquish the lead.

Free throws played a huge role in preserving the lead.

Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy III each made a pair of free throws down the stretch to secure the hard-earned victory.

Williamson was simply outstanding again, scoring 29 points with 10 rebounds and five assists, playing through hard physical contact without.

Murphy was excellent with 20 points, five rebounds and five assists, sinking four 3-pointers.

Jonas Valanciunas had 14 points and 12 rebounds, fighting through some struggles.

Perhaps the biggest lift was provided by Naji Marshall, who came off the bench to score 17 points with five rebounds and two blocks in 30 minutes. Marshall also stepped up as a physical presence when Jose Alvarado was knocked out of the game on a hard screen and when Williamson was getting knocked around frequently.

New Orleans shot just 8 of 27 from 3-point range. The Pelicans outrebounded Detroit 50-42 and overcame 18 turnovers, a problem of late.

The differential in the game was in the paint, where New Orleans destroyed Detroit by a 62-28 margin.

McCollum struggled again, scoring just eight points.

It is the first 5-game win streak for the Pelicans since the 2017 season and the win tied the Pelicans for first in the Western Conference at 16-8 with Phoenix, pending the result of the Suns game with Boston late Wednesday night.

Next up for the Pelicans are back-to-back games with the Suns at Smoothie King Center, first Friday night, followed by a Sunday afternoon matinee.

It may be time to start looking at this team as a genuine contender in the Western Conference.