Jordan Poole erupted for 20 second-half points, propelling the New Orleans Pelicans to victory on Saturday night.
The New Orleans Pelicans were able to beat the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night thanks to some clutch performances from unexpected sources: DeAndre Jordan and Jordan Poole.
While DeAndre got a lot of shine, rightfully so, Poole's game cannot be overlooked. Without his second-half surge, the Pelicans would likely not have won this game.
This game had Poole's best performance of the calendar year. In just his second game back after getting taken out of the rotation completely for nine straight matchups, he scored 23 while picking up three rebounds, five assists and a steal with no turnovers.
A whopping 20 of those points came in the second half, when New Orleans surged ahead. The team was +21 with him on the court. That's his highest +/- on the year and only his first time in double digits.
"I think I was able to get a little bit more flow. [DeAndre Jordan] was back, gave me some extra energy," Poole said with a bit of a laugh.
He wanted to give a shoutout to Jordan, who has mostly been a bench player and hasn't played since October. Both had much-needed comeback performances in this game.
More on his own game, the guard credited the freedom he was allowed to play with.
"But, you know, just trying to find my footing with these guys. Coach kind of let me just play my game. Allowed me to run the unit out there. Got a little bit of rhythm."
Rhythm is one luxury that Poole has not really been afforded since getting to New Orleans. He got hurt after seven games and then missed 18. He played five games and then missed another. His longest stretch was 16 games, then he was taken out of the rotation. Now he's back.
All throughout that time, his role and minutes were fluctuating. It's not a full excuse for his play, because one of the reasons that he was benched was that he looked downright unplayable, but it is certainly one of the causes of his down year.
Despite the frustrations, he's remained ready to play and has been bought in with his teammates. There's not much more the Pelicans could ask for from a player who just got benched.
"Poole was fantastic tonight. Making shots, decision making, defending, competing," said head coach James Borrego. "He has stayed ready. He's been a pro the entire time. This has not been easy for him, but give him a ton of credit tonight. He was phenomenal."
Maybe this is the performance that can help Poole find his footing. The guard room is about to get more crowded with Dejounte Murray coming back. It'll be interesting to see how New Orleans handles the minutes for the rest of the year.