The New Orleans Pelicans’ sixth-ranked defense got ripped to shreds on Wednesday in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
The Oklahoma City Thunder scored 124 points on 59% shooting. The Thunder made nearly half of its 3-pointers (14 of 29) and handed out 25 assists while turning the ball over only eight times.
Pelicans coach Willie Green, who has preached defense since taking over in 2021, said offering more resistance is a chief focus in Game 3 on Saturday.
“Understand what they are trying to accomplish,” Green said. “They are trying to get us moving in rotation and drive the ball. We have to have a better guard-the-ball mentality. Protect the paint.”
It is easier said than done. The Thunder was the NBA’s third-ranked offense during the regular season. The Thunder led the NBA in drives, was the league’s most accurate 3-point shooting team and committed turnovers at the fifth-lowest rate of anyone.
Oklahoma City point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an MVP candidate who’s a wizard with the ball and an adept finisher. Oklahoma City center Chet Holmgren made more 3s in the regular season than any Pelicans player not named CJ McCollum or Trey Murphy. The three players the Thunder start between them — Luguentz Dort, Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams — can all pass, dribble and shoot.
“It comes down to us,” Pelicans backup point guard Jose Alvarado said. "We have to guard. That’s the difference. We have to take pride in it. I think we are going to do that.”
Game 1 was at least close because the Pelicans did just that. They held the Thunder to 94 points. Gilgeous-Alexander needed 24 shot attempts to reach 28 points.
In Game 2, Gilgeous-Alexander was much more efficient. He poured in 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting, scoring from everywhere on the court. Four of his makes came at the rim, six came from the midrange, and three came from behind the 3-point arc.
Gilgeous-Alexander and Brandon Ingram are both rangy players who rely heavily on pull-up midrange jumpers. One of the differences between them in this series is that Gilgeous-Alexander has gotten his offense in other ways as well. Ingram shot 2 of 5 at the rim and 0 of 2 on 3-pointers in Games 1 and 2.
Ingram scored 12 of his 18 points in the third quarter Wednesday.
“I like the fact that he came out in the second half a little more aggressive,” Green said of Ingram. “Got to the free-throw line. Getting to the rim is a big factor. Knowing Holmgren will be down there. There are times when he can finish. And there are times when we’re getting kick-out 3s. We have to knock down shots or be ready to drive.”
Holmgren’s floor-spacing ability presented problems for New Orleans in Game 2. The rookie made three 3-pointers in the first quarter.
The Thunder like to use Holmgren as a screener and then have him pop to the 3-point line. Having Jonas Valanciunas help in the pick and roll and rotate toward the 3-point line is a lot of ground for the hulking Lithuanian to cover. The Thunder averaged 150.0 points per 100 possessions in Valanciunas’ 23 minutes on the floor.
“He had us in rotation and driving the ball,” Green said about Holmgren. “All those guys. They did a good job of (making quick decisions). We are closing out. We are not shifting for each other. Now they are driving the ball, kick outs, touching the paint. Rim decisions. Or they are getting to the free-throw line.”
The Pelicans are 0-5 in playoff series in which they lost the first two games. They will try to take their first step toward staging a comeback Saturday. To do that, they understand they need to defend better than they did in Game 2.
"They beat us twice at their crib," Alvarado said. "Now it’s time to win on our home court. They did what they were supposed to do. No matter how much we lost by, we lost. We have to look past it and protect our house.”