As a result of foul trouble and some cold shooting in a venue normally used to host NHL games, Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball had a first half to forget Wednesday. The third quarter was a completely different story.
After trailing by double figures early in the third period, New Orleans outscored Toronto 38-22 in that stanza, gaining a nine-point edge. Williamson – who was forced to the sideline in the first half with three fouls – combined with Ingram and Ball to score 33 of those points. Williamson got to the rim for three hoops, while the former Lakers each canned three three-pointers.
New Orleans dominated the second half in Tampa, resulting in a victory against one of the NBA’s premier franchises over the last few years. One major factor was the Pelicans going 19/42 from three-point range. That was only two shy of the most treys they sank in any game last regular season (21).
Ingram nearly finished with a triple-double, registering a final stat line of 24 points, nine boards and 11 assists. The latter stat tied his career high in that category.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Ingram and Steven Adams made a steal and block in consecutive Toronto possessions, allowing New Orleans to maintain a 14-point advantage with four-plus minutes remaining. Adams was a menace on defense from the start, coming up with three steals in the first quarter.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
JJ Redick was exceptionally valuable to New Orleans in its season opener, partly because he was one of the few things that went right offensively in the first half. Redick’s 10 points helped prevent Toronto from building a sizable intermission advantage, combined with Eric Bledsoe erupting for 12 points in the second period (after a scoreless first). The 15-year NBA veteran Redick went on a three-point barrage in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory, finishing with 23 points. He shot 6/11 from distance.
BY THE NUMBERS
27: New Orleans turnovers. Asked afterward if he’s ever had a team turn the ball over 27 times and still win a game, Stan Van Gundy indicated that it’s never happened before. A wry Van Gundy added that he’d prefer if Wednesday was the last time one of his teams committed 27 turnovers.
32-12: New Orleans run to end the third quarter, after the Pelicans trailed by 11.
19: Second-half points by Ingram, after a five-point opening half.
REVISITING THREE KEYS TO VICTORY
START FAST IN UNFAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS
Not great. New Orleans shot just 42 percent in the first quarter in the first-ever official NBA game played at Amalie Arena. Worse, the Pelicans were not crisp offensively and began the night turnover-prone, making several too-risky passes that the Raptors deflected or stole. The visitors committed 15 first-half turnovers.
WIN THE BENCH BATTLE
Redick swung this matchup in NOLA’s favor. The Pelicans didn’t get a lot of other notable reserve contributions statistically, but Josh Hart provided his usual hard-nosed play and was on the court in crunch time as a result. Toronto won bench scoring 33-32, but Raptors subs shot just 11/26.
CONTAIN SIAKAM
Toronto All-Star forward Pascal Siakam didn’t repeat his monster performances vs. New Orleans from last season, in which he poured in 44 and 34 points in Raptors wins, but he was still a momentum-changer early Wednesday, before going quiet late in the game. Siakam finished with 20 points on 8/17 shooting.
