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Andrew LopezESPN
Before Sunday afternoon’s game, before the New Orleans Pelicans were later eliminated from the playoff controversy, coach Alvin Gentry said his team needed to play like it was Game 7 with the season on the line.
But when the Pelicans took the court against the San Antonio Spurs, their listless commitment in the opening minutes set the tone for the 122-113 loss that was ahead of them. San Antonio jumped to a 14-3 lead, and although the Pelicans tied the game in the first short, they played most of the night from behind.
Pelican rookie Zion Williamson said the way the team got out of the gate was “unacceptable.”
“That lack of spirit in the first half really dictates the second half,” Williamson said. “If we came out better, we might have a different outcome. You just have to learn from that experience and be better.”
New Orleans was officially eliminated from the playoff controversy when Portland beat Philadelphia 124-121 later Sunday.
Gentry said he had “no explanation” as to why his team did not come out with the intensity he wanted from the start.
“We’ve talked about it, and it’s a Game 7. We have to approach it like it was a Game 7,” Gentry said. “Of course we fell behind early. Defensively, we were not early in the ball. I have no explanation for that. I wish I did. But that’s the only way you beat a team like that. You have to be ready. to play, you have to perform, and you have to protect basketball, and those things that we wrestle with today. “
The Pelicans fell by as much as 20 points behind, but were able to gain the lead to one possession with three minutes to play. Then a quick 8-0 run by the Spurs sealed the game.
Redick, who tied a season high with 31 points and set a new season high with eight 3-pointers, said New Orleans lacked a “competitive spirit” to begin with. The Pelicans also fell back early in losses in the bubble to the LA Clippers and Sacramento Kings.
“We’ve had a few games like that here for whatever reason,” Redick said. “Our team finally picked it up again and whittled that lead back to a game with one possession. We just did not start the game. For the very first, to be honest – not just starters, very first half.”
Williamson had 25 points on shooting 10 of 20 to go with seven rebounds. He said the team should be ready to come out and play and said it showed up in games when they were not ready.
“Every team has some kind of setback that they have to work through,” Williamson said. “Ours, we have good communication. Just sometimes we do not use it, and it turns out. … We just have to put ourselves in a better position to win. We can not come out like in the first half. Simply so.”
Gentry pointed to the Pelicans’ 20 turnovers that led to 30 points for San Antonio as the reason why New Orleans had such a hard time coming back. The Spurs had 22 points on miscues from the Pelicans in the first half.
“The one thing I insisted on from the beginning is, I said, ‘Let’s make sure we’re defeated them and not defeat ourselves,’ ‘Gentry said. “At the end of the day, you spin it 20 times for 30 points that you had [as] large fan [a] deliver that loss in if they had to play, and that does not take one thing away from San Antonio because they are a good basketball team. Of course, they are a team that does not beat itself. “
New Orleans will fill the bubble with games against Sacramento and Orlando. The Kings defeated the Pelicans 140-125 on August 7th.
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