Thursday offered another last-second situation for the Pelicans on the road against Milwaukee. But, as has become an unfortunate routine, it played out in a new, yet still unsuccessful fashion.
Up three with 14.7 seconds remaining, the Bucks were in-bounding the ball with a chance to ice the game at the line. Instead, the Pelicans swarmed Khris Middleton and forced a turnover with 10 seconds remaining. What transpired was an overly unselfish and literally passive possession.
Three players touched the ball in the final play with a total of four passes. This time, the Pelicans did create a semi-open look, multiple in fact. But both Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram turned down potential game-tying looks and New Orleans never even got off a shot to tie as Donte DiVincenzo stepped in to take a charge on Ingram, sealing a 129-125 Bucks victory.
Wild sequence. Pelicans don't foul right away, go for the steal and get it. Push in transition and man I thought Lonzo had a shot there but swung it right to Ingram. Another winning play from Donte here, steps up and takes the charge. pic.twitter.com/gsKCQ5Y5xZ
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) February 26, 2021
It was a clunky end to a game the Pelicans were in from start to finish. But, yet again, the team could not close the game late.
“We did what we were supposed to do,” Ball said. “We got the steal. I should have just shot the ball. That’s really all it comes down to.”
Ball remained on fire from 3-point range in the game, going 6-of-10 on the night, accounting for nearly half of the team’s 13 3-pointers.
“It was frustrating to see guys pass up shots who worked hard to get themselves in that position and everything else,” head coach Stan Van Gundy said. “I thought the best look we had was Lonzo’s and he knows it. He was 6-for-10 from three tonight. I would have liked to have seen that one go up.
“But that’s really easy to say sitting where you guys do watching TV and where I do standing on the bench. We’re all standing there watching and it’s easy to say that should have happened and he will tell you that should have happened but it’s a little tougher when you’re out there in real-time against NBA players flying around and stuff. I’m not going to fault him on that.
“He’s playing outstanding basketball,” he added. “We wouldn’t have had a shot in this game if it wasn’t for him. It was just a mistake and, hopefully, we learn from it and move on and do a better job on Saturday night.”
Ball wasn’t the only one to take blame on the play. Ingram, always one to take responsibility for shortcomings from the team as a whole, also noted that he should have shot the ball as well.
“First, I would have told Zo to shoot the basketball,” he said on what he would do differently on the final play. “But second, I should have shot the basketball. If he passes me the basketball, he has trust in me to make the right play. I just would have made the right play and believed in myself and shot the basketball.
“I think the lesson I learned this game is just time and score. I’m usually aware of a lot of things going on during the game. I think, just at the end of the game, just having a sense of urgency on the offensive end and (knowing) what we need on the basketball floor.
“At the end of the game, we needed a three and I drove the basketball and DiVincenzo stepped up and took the charge,” he continued. “Of course, we needed the three so I think that’s what I learned tonight, just time and score and having a sense of urgency at all times.”
Williamson, who finished with a team-high 34 points, on the night, was not officially involved in the offensive sequence. After helping force the steal, Williamson didn’t touch the ball again until after Ingram committed the offensive foul.
As quickly as he caught it, Williamson was kicking the ball out to Ball for a game-tying 3-point attempt that Ball was ready to shoot as the whistle blew.
“We had so many opportunities at the end,” he said. “We made a few shots and then we missed some. I think at the end of the game, I think everyone was so unselfish and everyone knew we had 14 seconds left to make a play that it just kind of got the best of us on that.
“But the more and more we’re in those situations, we just learn from it. That’s the best thing you can do from that.”
While it was different than their previous late-game struggles – like against Portland when Ball was forced into a long 3-pointer – it would not be hard to find reason for optimism in the sequence.
Multiple open looks were created, a difference from previous games, and multiple players made an extra pass trying to find the best shot, even if they were unnecessary. Ultimately, it still goes down as another frustrating loss for the Pelicans but is one they can grow from.
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