Pelicans survive very shaky second half to hold off Sacramento

Going into Monday night’s home game with Sacramento, the New Orleans Pelicans had to be a tired team, playing their eight game in 12 nights.

For one half, the Pelicans looked anything but tired, flying around and totally dominating the game. It was a beauty contest.

In the second half, the Pelicans came to a virtual halt, with their legs turning to jelly.

New Orleans had just enough, playing on fumes, to hold on for a 117-110 win, a much needed win over a Western conference team just behind the Pelicans.

Naji Marshall, a hero in the win at Cleveland, committed in inexcusable, inexplicable foul with 18.4 seconds left which was ruled a flagrant foul with New Orleans up 114-107, keeping the Kings in it.

Harrison Barnes made all three free throws to make it 114-110 and the Kings kept the ball.

De’Aaron Fox got a good look at a 3-pointer but missed it and Wes Iwindu got the rebound and was fouled.

Iwundu split a pair of free throws to make it 115-110 with 11.8 seconds left.

Barnes then missed a 3-pointer and Iwundu rebounded again and was fouled and Iwundu made both free throws as New Orleans won it.

The second half was as ugly as one could imagine but New Orleans simply survived.

The Pelicans closed the first quarter on a 12-4 run to take a 31-19 lead.

The second unit was excellent, with Jaxson Hayes, Naji Marshall, James Johnson and Kira Lewis Jr. playing with great energy on both ends of the floor. Brandon Ingram had 10 points but picked up a pair of fouls. The Kings were 0-for-7 from 3-point range in the quarter and shot just 36.4 percent from the field.

New Orleans kept the pressure on in the second quarter, outscoring Sacramento 37-26 to take a commanding 68-45 lead at the break.

The Pelicans shot 27-of-47 from the field in the half (57%). Ingram had 18 points while Zion Williamson had 17 in the half. Hayes had six points,

Jaxson Hayes had seven rebounds and three steals while Kira Lewis Jr. had seven points and two assists.

New Orleans had 14 assists in the first half.

James Johnson injured his wrist in the first half and did not return, hurting the depth of the Pelicans.

The Pelicans left their legs, their sharing the ball principles and their entire game in the locker room at halftime.

The ball stopped, the offense stopped and the Pelicans stopped scoring as Sacramento won the quarter 29-18 to cut the deficit to 86-74 going to the final quarter.

New Orleans was simply pathetic with the ball and passing it, committing an alarming 10 turnovers in the quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings outscored the Pelicans 36-31.

While New Orleans shot free throws poorly (27-of-39) at 68.4 percent, the Kings were downright awful at the line, shooting 59.5 percent (22-of-37). That was a relief for New Orleans.

Ingram finished with 34 points, seven assists and six rebounds with two blocks. Williamson had 30 points, six rebounds and four assists. Eric Bledsoe had 13 points but was just 3-of-11 from the field and 1-of-6 from 3-point range and he had five turnovers.

The Pelicans finished with 21 turnovers and survived.

Fox torched the Pelicans again, scoring 43 points with six rebounds and six assists but it was not enough.

Once again, New Orleans decimated an opponent on the boards with 51 rebounds to just 34 for the Kings.

New Orleans will host the New York Knicks Wednesday, another team with a losing record but competitive.

The Pelicans have just seven home games remaining with 11 games on the road, including four of the last five games of the season away from home.

With a day’s rest, perhaps the legs will return.

If Johnson does not return, an already thin bench will be thinner.

On a night where the margin of victory was far thinner than it should have been, the Pelicans got the desired result.

It is all about winning.

New Orleans won. That is good enough.