Pelicans pull away to dump Grizzlies, 123-95

NEW ORLEANS — Wednesday night the New Orleans Pelicans defeated a group of people calling themselves the Memphis Grizzlies 123-95.

The Pelicans opened the game on a 10-0 run and built their lead to as many as 32 point while leading this one wire-to-wire.

Most importantly, New Orleans halted its longest (and most ill-timed) losing streak of the season at four games and kept pace in the hotly contested Western Conference playoff race.

After Wednesday’s action the Pelicans remain the eighth seed, sitting even with the Minnesota Timberwolves with identical 44-34 records, but trailing due to Minnesota sweeping the season series between the two.

E’Twaun Moore led all scorers with 30 points and knocked down a career-best seven three pointers. Anthony Davis had 28 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks and a freshly beardless Nikola Mirotić finished with 25 points and seven boards.

Marshon Brooks led the Grizzlies with 25 points off the bench.

Competing against a Memphis team playing without Tyreke Evans, Mike Conley, and Chandler Parsons and with an indifferent and uninterested 20 minutes from Marc Gasol, New Orleans put up its best offensive effort since defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 128-125 nearly two weeks ago.

Over the past four games the Pelicans’ offense was out of sync as Davis battled the effects of a sprained ankle and the entire team fought through shooting slumps, turnovers, and poor late-game execution.

You wouldn’t have been able to tell as New Orleans made 52 percent of its field goal attempts and converted 16 of their 36 three pointers.

While encouraged by his team’s turnaround, Head Coach Alvin Gentry didn’t want to get too carried away with the results after the game.

“Every game is just an individual game, but I thought we did what we needed to tonight,” he said. “We got off to a great start. I thought our ball movement was good again. We’re in the 30 assists category again (32 assists on 45 baskets). That’s telling you that we have good ball movement. We shot the ball well as a team. We needed to see some threes go in.”

Anthony Davis set the tone early with 14 points in the first quarter; scoring in the paint, with his jumper, and by getting to the free throw line. As important as the start was for the team, it may have been more important for AD.

“I was trying to get back to how I was playing, get the team back,” said Davis. “I know they feed off my energy, so I just tried to come out with a lot of energy on both ends of the floor and tried to lead us to a win.”

Whatever Davis had working must have rubbed off on Moore and Mirotić. For Moore it was his second 30-point game of the season and his +41 in the +/- bested his season-high by 17. Mirotić had his second-highest scoring game since joining the Pelicans, and his 10-12 shooting matched his season-high.

It was a much-needed performance for the 6-10 forward. Over his last 12 games he was averaging 8.9 points on 32 percent shooting. Against the Grizzlies Mirotić refused to settle for shots from beyond the arc, instead scoring on a variety of moves and in a variety of ways. The three ball was there as well, as he knocked down 3-of-5 from deep.

“I just felt I needed to get a little maybe easier at the game, maybe not just shooting threes, maybe get some easy lay-ups and play a little bit more simple by taking some better shots, good selection,” he said. “Today [my teammates] really found me, especially in the beginning and I felt comfortable to start shooting some threes. I think defense, especially when we set a tone defensively and when I feel comfortable there too, I know my offense is coming. It was a pretty good day.”

It wasn’t a perfect night for the Pels, though. They turned the ball over 16 times and allowed the Grizzlies to cut their lead to 17 early in the fourth quarter, forcing four of the five starters back onto the floor. That group, along with Darius Miller then went on a 17-2 run to put the game back out of reach.

They also suffered another injury as Ian Clark went down with a right ankle sprain in the second quarter. He was able to leave the Smoothie King Center under his own power and x-rays were negative. He will have an MRI and is listed as day-to-day, but the Pelicans can’t afford for him to miss any significant time at this stage and especially considering that Clark has been the team’s most consistent reserve of late.

That’s the kind of season it’s been for the Pelicans. Nothing has come easy. Now with four games remaining and a razor-thin margin for error, the Pelicans have another challenge before them.

They’ve overcome quite a few. We’ll know very shortly if the Pelicans can conquer this latest one on a road that they hope leads to the playoffs.