The New Orleans Pelicans are losing a lot of the momentum they built.
The New Orleans Pelicans are struggling to harness the energy they began to build during a five-game winning streak. Since then, they’ve dropped three straight games. The 123-114 loss to the Phoenix Suns was their second in a row and wasn’t without drama for the Pelicans on Saturday night. As it tends to often be, New Orleans nearly made a comeback, shaving the deficit down the to three with about four minutes remaining, but the defense couldn’t make a stand.
It felt like each attempt to get back in the contest was hollow. However, there were some positives – Zion Williamson had another great night off the bench and posted 22 points in 29 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back. But in one of the more chaotic moments of the contest, Pelicans point guard Jose Alvarado was ejected alongside Suns center Mark Williams after they got into a fight in the third quarter. It came following a foul call on Alvarado, where the two exchanged some punches.
Here is the full story from Pelicans Roundtable writer Dylan Sanders breaking down the rough night at home for New Orleans.
Alvarado was called for a foul when he pushed Williams out of the way in a defensive move. The aggressive 6-foot point guard was trying to fight through a screen by Williams to pressure Collin Gillespie for Phoenix. Once the foul was called, Alvarado turned around and the two said some things before punches were thrown. Both players landed a punch before they were eventually broken up and ejected.
Neither Phoenix coach Jordan Ott nor Pelicans coach James Borrego had reviewed the video after the contest. It likely won’t turn into anything greater, but it was good to at least see some fight from some New Orleans players.