New Orleans players have had nearly three full days to digest what took place Tuesday night in Toronto, where the Pelicans held a six-point lead with four minutes left – and still led by two with the ball in the final minute – but couldn’t secure a victory. Having 72 hours between games might seem like far too long to stew over a disappointing ending and the what-could-have-beens vs. the Raptors, but the Pelicans saw many aspects to build on in Friday’s home opener vs. Dallas (7 p.m., Fox Sports New Orleans, ESPN, ESPN New Orleans 100.3 FM).
“It definitely does,” center Derrick Favors said, when asked if Tuesday’s result makes New Orleans even more eager to get back on the court. “We saw things we can do, things we can work on. That game was definitely helpful for us. We saw what we can improve and as young as we are, we can compete with top-level teams in this league. We learned a lot from that game, and hopefully tonight we can come out and get a win.”
“It’s all a learning process,” guard Jrue Holiday said. “You can learn from everything, good or bad. The fact we were in that game, and felt like we should’ve won that game, is a positive. Going back and seeing all the mistakes that are correctable also.”
One area of improvement is turnovers, after the Pelicans committed 19, including a few miscues in crunch time. Trailing by two points in the final 30 seconds, Toronto came up with a steal and tied the game on Kyle Lowry free throws at the other end. On the penultimate possession of regulation, Holiday had to force up an off-balance three-pointer, giving the Raptors a chance to win at the fourth-quarter buzzer (Norman Powell’s deep trey attempt hit the back of the rim).
“We played our style,” Holiday said, “(but) toward the end of the game we didn’t execute well. It’s a learning process, to be in those last five minutes and be able to hold a lead, come down the stretch and get a bucket when it’s needed.”
Other notes from Friday’s shootaround at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center:
A great deal of conversation by fans and media over this three-day period has focused on the Pelicans using 12 players Tuesday in Toronto; most NBA teams go with a 10-man rotation. Asked what adjustments Pelicans players need to make given the number of players being used, Favors said, “It’s difficult mentally. But it’s good for the players, (for more) to be able to get time. But you have to be willing to sacrifice. You might not get a lot of minutes and opportunity (every game). You have to be supportive of the guys who are playing and hope for the best for him.” …
Favors on his individual adjustment to playing for a new time for the first time in almost a decade of his NBA career: “Getting used to playing with new guys, getting familiar with a new team, coaching staff and system, a new style of play. For me, it’s just about getting comfortable.” …
Holiday on what he’s looking forward to about being in the Smoothie King Center to open the team’s 41-game home schedule: “Just to be able to bring that energy and everything we’ve done to our home. To try to protect our home (court) is a priority for us.”
