Pelicans in need of bounce-back game vs. Thunder
The New Orleans Pelicans are coming off their worst performance of the season.
And they might not have star forward Brandon Ingram available when they try to bounce back in a game against the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.
Ingram suffered a sprained left big toe in a 132-111 loss at Memphis on Friday night. Coach Willie Green said Sunday that Ingram is day to day.
The Pelicans had won five of six games, but the Grizzlies raced to a 27-9 lead and remained in command throughout.
Green gave credit to Memphis for the way it played from beginning to end.
The 44 points that the Grizzlies scored in the first quarter were the most allowed by the Pelicans in any quarter this season.
Ingram is averaging 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He is shooting 46.7 percent on 3-pointers. The Pelicans also are missing CJ McCollum, who was placed in the NBA health and safety protocols before Friday’s game.
The Thunder’s last game didn’t go much better than the Pelicans’.
Their 118-105 loss at Houston on Saturday night wasn’t as close as the final score might suggest.
The Rockets seized command in the second quarter in similar fashion to how Memphis seized command against the Pelicans in the first.
Houston made 7 of 11 3-pointers while outscoring Oklahoma City 42-22 in the second quarter on its way to a 65-44 halftime lead.
Houston shot 52.3 percent from the floor for the game, hitting 18 of 36 3-pointers, and led by as many as 27 points.
Oklahoma City wasn’t much better on the offensive end, as it lost for the fourth time in five games. It made 10 of 44 (22.7 percent) 3-pointers.
Much of the Thunder’s offensive rhythm came from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as is often the case. Gilgeous-Alexander, who entered Sunday third in the NBA with an average of 31.1 points, had 32, while shooting 12 of 21 from the floor and 7 of 7 from the foul line.
