Game ID: 22300326
New Orleans Pelicans @ Charlotte Hornets
Friday, December 15, 2023 at 7:00 PM ET
Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CHA 20 19 37 31 107NOP 21 29 26 36 112
CHA vs NOP ScoutingCHA vs NOP Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
CHA availability going into 12/06 · 3 days' restOUT Ball missed 3 since 11/28, out tonight
OUT Maledon missed 2 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Black missed 2 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Rozier back 11/26 after 9, 36 min since (102% of 36)
BACK Richards back 12/02 after 6, 9 min since (35% of 26)
BACK Smith Jr. back 11/22 after 2, 7 min since (47% of 14)
CHA availability going into 12/08 · 1 day's restOUT Ball missed 4 since 11/28, out tonight
OUT Maledon missed 3 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 2 since 12/02, out tonight
OUT Thor missed 2 since 12/02, out tonight
OUT Black missed 3 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Rozier back 11/26 after 9, 37 min since (104% of 36)
BACK Richards back 12/02 after 6, 18 min since (70% of 26)
CHA availability going into 12/11 · 2 days' restOUT Ball missed 5 since 11/28, out tonight
OUT Maledon missed 4 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 3 since 12/02, out tonight
OUT Thor missed 3 since 12/02, returns tonight: 9 min (71% of 12)
OUT Black missed 4 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Richards back 12/02 after 6, 21 min since (80% of 26)
CHA availability going into 12/13 · 1 day's restOUT Ball missed 6 since 11/28, out tonight
OUT Maledon missed 5 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 4 since 12/02, out tonight
OUT Black missed 5 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Richards back 12/02 after 6, 22 min since (85% of 26)
BACK Thor back 12/11 after 3, 9 min since (71% of 12)
CHA availability going into 12/15 · 1 day's restOUT Ball missed 7 since 11/28, out tonight
OUT Maledon missed 6 since 11/30, not on tonight's roster
OUT Smith Jr. missed 5 since 12/02, out tonight
OUT Black missed 6 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Richards back 12/02 after 6, 26 min since (98% of 26)
BACK Thor back 12/11 after 3, 12 min since (100% of 12)
CHA availability going into 12/16 · back-to-backOUT Ball missed 8 since 11/28, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 6 since 12/02, returns tonight: 26 min (183% of 14)
OUT Black missed 7 since 11/30, returns tonight: 7 min (67% of 11)
BACK Thor back 12/11 after 3, 13 min since (104% of 12)
CHA availability going into 12/18 · 1 day's restOUT Ball missed 9 since 11/28, out tonight
OUT Washington missed 2 since 12/15, returns tonight: 39 min (133% of 29)
BACK Smith Jr. back 12/16 after 6, 26 min since (183% of 14)
BACK Thor back 12/11 after 3, 15 min since (122% of 12)
BACK Black back 12/16 after 7, 7 min since (67% of 11)
CHA availability going into 12/20 · 1 day's restOUT Ball missed 10 since 11/28, out tonight
OUT Hayward missed 2 since 12/16, returns tonight: 24 min (74% of 32)
BACK Washington back 12/18 after 2, 39 min since (133% of 29)
BACK Smith Jr. back 12/16 after 6, 23 min since (162% of 14)
BACK Thor back 12/11 after 3, 15 min since (119% of 12)
BACK Black back 12/16 after 7, 9 min since (85% of 11)
NEW McGowens 15 to 24 min over the last 5
CHA availability going into 12/23 · 2 days' restOUT Ball missed 11 since 11/28, out tonight
OUT Martin missed 2 since 12/18, returns tonight: 17 min (64% of 27)
BACK Hayward back 12/20 after 2, 24 min since (74% of 32)
BACK Washington back 12/18 after 2, 33 min since (112% of 29)
BACK Smith Jr. back 12/16 after 6, 17 min since (122% of 14)
BACK Black back 12/16 after 7, 8 min since (69% of 11)
NEW McGowens 15 to 23 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/04 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 3 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 8 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK McCollum back 11/29 after 12, 33 min since (101% of 33)
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 26 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/07 · 2 days' restOUT Nance Jr. missed 4 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 9 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK McCollum back 11/29 after 12, 34 min since (103% of 33)
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 22 min over the last 4
NOP availability going into 12/11 · 3 days' restOUT Nance Jr. missed 5 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 10 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK McCollum back 11/29 after 12, 32 min since (97% of 33)
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 30 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/13 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 6 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 11 since 11/20, out tonight
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 31 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/15 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 7 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 12 since 11/20, out tonight
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 31 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/17 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 8 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 13 since 11/20, out tonight
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 32 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/19 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 9 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 14 since 11/20, out tonight
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 30 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/21 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 10 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 15 since 11/20, out tonight
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 32 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 11 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 16 since 11/20, out tonight
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 31 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Charlotte comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 17 free throws a game; Rozier at 26 and Hayward at 21 a game. It has lost the glass by 12 a night. Without Ball (7 straight), Maledon (6 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 121, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 30 free throws a game; Ingram at 24 and Williamson at 22 a game. Without Nance Jr. (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: Charlotte wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been minus-0 a night and Charlotte minus-12 and the line, where New Orleans takes 30 free throws a game to Charlotte's 17. Call it Charlotte 117, New Orleans 116, New Orleans keeping it close.
12/06 @ CHI 100-111 — CHA notes
CHA lost 100-111. CHA shot 43% (39 of 90) to CHI's 42%, 10 of 37 from three, and got to the line just 12 times against 24 fouls committed. The glass went 42-57 against them. Hayward led with 27 (10 of 18, 2 of 4 from three); Rozier added 25, Bridges 16. Q4 was theirs, 36-28, the deficit cut from 19 to 11, but the other 3 periods went 83-64 against them. Rozier's -11 in 40 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/08 vs TOR 119-116 — CHA notes
CHA won 119-116. CHA shot 56% (44 of 79) to TOR's 51%, 13 of 25 from three. The glass went 31-42 against them. Hayward led with 24 (10 of 15); Bridges added 22, Rozier 21. The hinge was Q1, 35-22: from level to 13 ahead, and the lead reached 20.
12/11 vs MIA 114-116 — CHA notes
CHA lost 114-116. CHA shot 48% (40 of 84) to MIA's 48%, 17 of 41 from three, and got to the line 22 times to MIA's 34. The glass went 31-43 against them. Rozier led with 34 (10 of 17, 8 of 13 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Bridges added 18, Hayward 17. Q4 was theirs, 37-27, the deficit cut from 12 to 2, but the other 3 periods went 89-77 against them. Richards's -14 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/13 @ MIA 104-115 — CHA notes
CHA lost 104-115. CHA shot 53% (41 of 77) to MIA's 48%, 12 of 31 from three, and got to the line just 11 times against 18 fouls committed. The glass went 31-47 against them. Rozier led with 28 (10 of 14, 5 of 6 from three); Hayward added 20, Bridges 19. Q4 was theirs, 34-24, the deficit cut from 21 to 11, but the other 3 periods went 91-70 against them. Thor's -19 in 16 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/15 vs NOP 107-112 — CHA notes
CHA lost 107-112. CHA took 12 more shots (92 to 80), but shot 45% to NOP's 48%, 9 of 31 from three, and got to the line 21 times to NOP's 32. CHA turned it over 8 times to NOP's 15. The glass went 39-49 against them. Rozier led with 30 (11 of 25, 4 of 11 from three); Bridges added 27, Miller 16. Q3 was theirs, 37-26, the deficit cut from 11 to 0, but the other 3 periods went 86-70 against them. McGowens's -14 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/16 vs PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Charlotte comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 114, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 17 free throws a game; Rozier at 28 and Bridges at 20 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 13 a night. Without Ball (8 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Philadelphia comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 131 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 32 free throws a game; Embiid at 40 and Maxey at 22 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Philadelphia wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Philadelphia has been plus-7 a night and Charlotte minus-13 and the line, where Philadelphia takes 32 free throws a game to Charlotte's 17. Call it Philadelphia 121, Charlotte 112.
12/18 @ TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 124, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Siakam at 25 and Barnes at 23 a game. Without Freeman-Liberty (23 straight). 2 days' rest. Charlotte comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 119, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 17 free throws a game; Rozier at 24 and Bridges at 19 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 12 a night. Without Ball (9 straight), Washington (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Toronto wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Toronto has been minus-2 a night and Charlotte minus-12 and the line, where Toronto takes 23 free throws a game to Charlotte's 17. Call it Toronto 119, Charlotte 112.
12/20 @ IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 136, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Mathurin at 19 and Haliburton at 16 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Nembhard (5 straight), Smith (9 straight). One day's rest. Charlotte comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 118, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 16 free throws a game; Rozier at 24 and Bridges at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 12 a night. Without Ball (10 straight), Hayward (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Indiana has been plus-0 a night and Charlotte minus-12 and the defense, Charlotte allowing 118 a night to Indiana's 136. Call it Indiana 124, Charlotte 117.
12/23 vs DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Charlotte comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 124, shooting 45 percent and 28 from three, 15 free throws a game; Rozier at 22 and Bridges at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. Without Ball (11 straight), Martin (2 straight). 2 days' rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 109, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; Jokić at 24 and Murray at 21 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Denver at 40 percent from three to Charlotte's 28 and the glass, where Denver has been plus-1 a night and Charlotte minus-10. Call it Denver 118, Charlotte 110.
12/04 @ SAC 127-117 — NOP notes
NOP won 127-117. NOP shot 54% (47 of 87) to SAC's 45%, 14 of 31 from three, and got to the line 23 times to SAC's 33. Ingram led with 30 (10 of 20, 3 of 6 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Jones added 23, Valančiūnas 18. The hinge was Q2, 34-25: NOP came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 8, and the lead reached 15. Murphy III was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
12/07 @ LAL 89-133 — NOP notes
NOP lost 89-133. NOP took 9 more shots (95 to 86), fed by 12 offensive rebounds, but shot 36% to LAL's 55%, 7 of 31 from three, and got to the line 20 times to LAL's 29. The glass went 42-59 against them. Murphy III led with 14 (5 of 13, 2 of 7 from three); Williamson added 13, Jones 10. Q1 was theirs, 30-29, but the other 3 periods went 104-59 against them. McCollum's -38 in 25 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/11 vs MIN 121-107 — NOP notes
NOP won 121-107. NOP shot 49% (40 of 82) to MIN's 44%, 10 of 27 from three, and went to the line 40 times to MIN's 19 — 31 points from the stripe to their 14. Williamson led with 36 (13 of 17, 10 of 12 at the line); McCollum added 23, Ingram 20. The hinge was Q4, 31-21: a lead of 4 became 14, and the lead reached 17. Williamson was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
12/13 @ WAS 142-122 — NOP notes
NOP won 142-122. NOP shot 52% (50 of 96) to WAS's 51%, 16 of 34 from three, and went to the line 30 times to WAS's 24 — 26 points from the stripe to their 19. NOP turned it over 9 times to WAS's 15. The glass went 46-33 for them. Ingram led with 40 (14 of 23, 1 of 4 from three, 11 of 12 at the line); Murphy III added 27, McCollum 22. The hinge was Q2, 47-34: NOP came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 11, and the lead reached 28. Murphy III was the night's best plus/minus at +43.
12/15 @ CHA 112-107 — NOP notes
NOP won 112-107. NOP shot 48% (38 of 80) to CHA's 45%, 9 of 27 from three, and went to the line 32 times to CHA's 21 — 27 points from the stripe to their 16. NOP turned it over 15 times to CHA's 8. The glass went 49-39 for them. Valančiūnas led with 29 (11 of 16, 2 of 4 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Williamson added 21, McCollum 19. The hinge was Q2, 29-19: a lead of 1 became 11.
12/17 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 111, shooting 43 percent and 32 from three, 19 free throws a game; Johnson at 20 and Vassell at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 117, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 29 free throws a game; Ingram at 21 and Williamson at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Nance Jr. (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where New Orleans takes 29 free throws a game to San Antonio's 19 and the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-2 a night and San Antonio minus-5. Call it New Orleans 115, San Antonio 113, San Antonio keeping it close.
12/19 vs MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 116, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 29 free throws a game; Williamson at 21 and Ingram at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Nance Jr. (9 straight). One day's rest. Memphis comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 117, shooting 41 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Jackson Jr. at 28 and Bane at 22 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 12 a night. Without Morant (25 straight), Smart (14 straight), Kennard (14 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-4 a night and Memphis minus-12 and the line, where New Orleans takes 29 free throws a game to Memphis's 21. Call it New Orleans 119, Memphis 107, New Orleans by 12.
12/21 @ CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 120, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 18 free throws a game; Mitchell at 30 and Merrill at 18 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Garland (3 straight), Eva. Mobley (7 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 112, shooting 51 percent and 44 from three, 30 free throws a game; Ingram at 26 and McCollum at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Nance Jr. (10 straight). One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where New Orleans takes 30 free throws a game to Cleveland's 18 and the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-6 a night and Cleveland minus-1. Call it New Orleans 119, Cleveland 115, Cleveland keeping it close.
12/23 vs HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 112, shooting 52 percent and 45 from three, 25 free throws a game; Ingram at 25 and McCollum at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Nance Jr. (11 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; VanVleet at 21 and Sengun at 19 a game. Without Eason (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the arc, New Orleans at 45 percent from three to Houston's 38 and the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-7 a night and Houston plus-1. Call it New Orleans 119, Houston 113.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
NOPBI B. Ingram
CM C. McCollum
DD D. Daniels
HJ H. Jones
JA J. Alvarado
JH J. Hawkins
JV J. Valančiūnas
NM N. Marshall
TM T. Murphy III
VA Valanciunas
ZW Z. Williamson
CHABM B. McGowens
BM B. Miller
GH G. Hayward
IS I. Smith
JT J. Thor
MB M. Bridges
NM N. Mensah
NR N. Richards
TR T. Rozier
NOP/CHA the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Jonas Valanciunas scores season-high 29 points as Pelicans hold on to beat Hornets 112-107
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- — Jonas Valanciunas had a season-high 29 points and also grabbed 13 rebounds as the New Orleans Pelicans held on to beat the short-handed Charlotte Hornets 112-107 on Friday night for their third straight win.
Zion Williamson , who sat out Wednesday night's game against Washington, scored 21 points and had 11 rebounds in his return to the floor and C.J. McCollum had 13 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter.
Terry Rozier had 30 points and Miles Bridges added 27 points and 10 rebounds for the struggling Hornets, who fell to 4-9 at home.
Pelicans coach Willie Green said he made sure the offense was going to run through Valanciunas after learning that the Hornets would be without starting center Mark Williams due to a back injury.
And the 7-foot, 270-pound Valanciunas responded, giving the Hornets all they could handle inside by getting Nick Richards and backup Nathan Mensah in foul trouble. Together, they had 11 fouls by the early in the fourth quarter.
“He was excellent,” Green said. “We put the ball in his hands and he either made the right play, either scoring or getting to the free throw line 90% of the time. That is something that is a luxury for us. If we don't have it going we can just throw it to JV.”
Hornets coach Steve Clifford said stopping Valanciunas is a tough task on any night, but particularly tough given the current makeup of his roster.
Not only was Charlotte without Williams, but power forward P.J. Washington — who has the ability to guard the five spot — was also out with an injury. It was Mensah's first NBA game and he fouled out.
“He’s a really good player,” Clifford said of Valanciunas. “He’s been a good player for a long time. It was evident right in the first quarter there they were going to go to him a lot more than usual. He’s big and he’s physical and he really knows how to play.”
Charlotte trailed by 11 at halftime, but took the lead with a late spurt in the third quarter behind Rozier and Bridges, who scored on a 3-point play and drew a fourth foul on Williamson, sending him to the bench.
But McCollum, who was 0 for 5 in the first half from the field, began to heat up in the fourth knocking down two 3s to push the Pelicans lead to six. McCollum later added another 3 to increase the lead to 10 with 5 1/2 minutes left.
“C.J. got going at the right time,” Green said.
The Hornets still had something left, and Rozier's leaning 3-pointer from the left wing cut their deficit to three with 26.5 seconds left.
Herbert Jones followed by making one of two free throws, but then got his own rebound after missing the second shot and was fouled again. This time he made both foul shots to all but seal the win.
It was another strong game for Rozier, who has averaged 28.3 points over the last seven games as he's been forced to take on an increased scoring load with LaMelo Ball out with an ankle injury.
“I’m just taking whatever the defense gives me,” Rozier said. “I obviously want to get guys involved at the beginning, but I’ll find ways to get mine, too.”
Green said he was happy with his team's defense on Rozier in the first half, but added “he's a fantastic scorer.”
“He finds a way to put his team on his back and get bucket after bucket,” Green said.