Game ID: 22300909
New Orleans Pelicans @ Philadelphia 76ers
Friday, March 8, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
PHI 15 19 27 34 95NOP 36 27 21 19 103
NOP @ PHI ScoutingNOP @ PHI 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.
PHI availability going into 3/01 · 2 days' restOUT Embiid missed 12 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Covington missed 26 since 1/02, out tonight
OUT Martin missed 2 since 2/25, out tonight
BACK Harris back 2/22 after 2, 30 min since (89% of 34)
BACK Melton back 2/23 after 18, 14 min since (55% of 26)
BACK Batum back 2/22 after 9, 14 min since (53% of 26)
NEW Hield 24 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Reed 19 to 27 min over the last 5
PHI availability going into 3/03 · 1 day's restOUT Embiid missed 13 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Covington missed 27 since 1/02, out tonight
OUT Martin missed 3 since 2/25, returns tonight: 4 min (36% of 12)
BACK Harris back 2/22 after 2, 32 min since (95% of 34)
BACK Melton back 2/23 after 18, 14 min since (55% of 26)
BACK Batum back 2/22 after 9, 17 min since (63% of 26)
NEW Hield 24 to 31 min over the last 5
PHI availability going into 3/05 · 1 day's restOUT Embiid missed 14 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Melton missed 2 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Covington missed 28 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Martin back 3/03 after 3, 4 min since (36% of 12)
NEW Hield 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Reed 19 to 25 min over the last 5
PHI availability going into 3/06 · back-to-backOUT Embiid missed 15 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Melton missed 3 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Covington missed 29 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Martin back 3/03 after 3, 8 min since (64% of 12)
PHI availability going into 3/08 · 1 day's restOUT Maxey missed 2 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Embiid missed 16 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Melton missed 4 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Covington missed 30 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Martin back 3/03 after 3, 12 min since (98% of 12)
NEW Hield 24 to 30 min over the last 5
PHI availability going into 3/10 · 1 day's restOUT Maxey missed 3 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Embiid missed 17 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Melton missed 5 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Covington missed 31 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Martin back 3/03 after 3, 13 min since (108% of 12)
NEW Lowry 29 to 34 min over the last 4
NEW Reed 19 to 24 min over the last 5
PHI availability going into 3/12 · 1 day's restOUT Maxey missed 4 since 3/05, returns tonight: 28 min (73% of 38)
OUT Embiid missed 18 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Melton missed 6 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Covington missed 32 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Martin back 3/03 after 3, 11 min since (92% of 12)
NEW Reed 19 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW Payne 18 to 26 min over the last 4
PHI availability going into 3/14 · 1 day's restOUT Embiid missed 19 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Melton missed 7 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Covington missed 33 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Maxey back 3/12 after 4, 28 min since (73% of 38)
NEW Reed 19 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW Payne 18 to 25 min over the last 5
PHI availability going into 3/16 · 1 day's restOUT Embiid missed 20 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Melton missed 8 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Covington missed 34 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Maxey back 3/12 after 4, 32 min since (85% of 38)
NEW Reed 19 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Dowtin Jr. 12 to 17 min over the last 3
NOP availability going into 2/27 · 1 day's restOUT Daniels missed 6 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK Ingram back 2/25 after 2, 39 min since (117% of 33)
BACK Hawkins back 2/22 after 2, 18 min since (109% of 17)
BACK Ryan back 2/22 after 2, 11 min since (80% of 14)
NOP availability going into 2/28 · back-to-backOUT McCollum missed 2 since 2/25, returns tonight: 34 min (105% of 33)
OUT Daniels missed 7 since 2/10, out tonight
OUT Alvarado missed 2 since 2/25, out tonight
BACK Ingram back 2/25 after 2, 36 min since (109% of 33)
BACK Hawkins back 2/22 after 2, 18 min since (107% of 17)
BACK Ryan back 2/22 after 2, 11 min since (83% of 14)
NOP availability going into 3/01 · 1 day's restOUT Daniels missed 8 since 2/10, out tonight
OUT Alvarado missed 3 since 2/25, returns tonight: 25 min (135% of 18)
BACK Ingram back 2/25 after 2, 34 min since (102% of 33)
BACK McCollum back 2/28 after 2, 34 min since (105% of 33)
BACK Hawkins back 2/22 after 2, 18 min since (107% of 17)
BACK Ryan back 2/22 after 2, 11 min since (83% of 14)
NEW Jones 31 to 37 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 3/05 · 3 days' restOUT Daniels missed 9 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK Ingram back 2/25 after 2, 33 min since (99% of 33)
BACK McCollum back 2/28 after 2, 30 min since (91% of 33)
BACK Alvarado back 3/01 after 3, 25 min since (135% of 18)
NOP availability going into 3/08 · 2 days' restOUT Daniels missed 10 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK Ingram back 2/25 after 2, 31 min since (95% of 33)
BACK McCollum back 2/28 after 2, 27 min since (83% of 33)
BACK Alvarado back 3/01 after 3, 24 min since (132% of 18)
NEW Marshall 19 to 25 min over the last 4
NOP availability going into 3/10 · 1 day's restOUT Daniels missed 11 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK McCollum back 2/28 after 2, 27 min since (83% of 33)
BACK Alvarado back 3/01 after 3, 23 min since (126% of 18)
NOP availability going into 3/13 · 2 days' restOUT Daniels missed 12 since 2/10, out tonight
OUT Hawkins missed 2 since 3/08, returns tonight: 5 min (28% of 17)
OUT Ryan missed 2 since 3/08, returns tonight: 5 min (34% of 14)
BACK McCollum back 2/28 after 2, 28 min since (85% of 33)
BACK Alvarado back 3/01 after 3, 22 min since (118% of 18)
NOP availability going into 3/15 · 1 day's restOUT Daniels missed 13 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK Alvarado back 3/01 after 3, 21 min since (115% of 18)
BACK Hawkins back 3/13 after 2, 5 min since (28% of 17)
BACK Ryan back 3/13 after 2, 5 min since (34% of 14)
NOP availability going into 3/16 · back-to-backOUT Daniels missed 14 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK Hawkins back 3/13 after 2, 5 min since (28% of 17)
BACK Ryan back 3/13 after 2, 5 min since (34% of 14)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 115, shooting 44 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; Maxey at 30 and Oubre Jr. at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Maxey (2 straight), Embiid (16 straight), Melton (4 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 106, shooting 50 percent and 45 from three, 19 free throws a game; Ingram at 24 and Murphy III at 22 a game. Without Daniels (10 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-3 a night and Philadelphia minus-6 and the arc, New Orleans at 45 percent from three to Philadelphia's 37. Call it New Orleans 115, Philadelphia 113, Philadelphia keeping it close.
3/01 vs CHA 121-114 — PHI notes
PHI won 121-114. PHI shot 48% (46 of 96) to CHA's 51%, 19 of 44 from three, and got to the line 11 times to CHA's 17. The glass went 48-32 for them. Maxey led with 33 (11 of 29, 5 of 10 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Harris added 31, Lowry 15. The hinge was Q3, 30-21: PHI came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 4. PHI trailed 58-63 at the half and won the second half 63-51. Maxey was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
3/03 @ DAL 120-116 — PHI notes
PHI won 120-116. PHI shot 45% (40 of 88) to DAL's 47%, 11 of 37 from three, and went to the line 31 times to DAL's 23 — 29 points from the stripe to their 20. PHI turned it over 8 times to DAL's 17. Harris led with 28 (11 of 19, 3 of 6 from three); Maxey added 24, Oubre Jr. 21. The hinge was Q1, 32-22: from level to 10 ahead, and the lead reached 18. Reed was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
3/05 @ BKN 107-112 — PHI notes
PHI lost 107-112. PHI shot 49% (40 of 82) to BKN's 49%, 12 of 28 from three. Oubre Jr. led with 30 (11 of 20, 2 of 5 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Harris added 18, Payne 15. Q1 was theirs, 30-23, but the other 3 periods went 89-77 against them. They led by as many as 14.
3/06 vs MEM 109-115 — PHI notes
PHI lost 109-115. PHI took 11 more shots (102 to 91), fed by 17 offensive rebounds, but shot 38% to MEM's 45%, 13 of 35 from three. Oubre Jr. led with 25 (7 of 21, 2 of 7 from three, 9 of 9 at the line); Reed added 17, Payne 16. Q2 was theirs, 33-19, turning a 6-point deficit into a 8-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 96-76 against them. They led by as many as 15. Payne's -18 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/08 vs NOP 95-103 — PHI notes
PHI lost 95-103. PHI took 9 more shots (88 to 79), fed by 13 offensive rebounds, but shot 40% to NOP's 44%, 9 of 37 from three. Harris led with 21 (9 of 19, 0 of 5 from three); Oubre Jr. added 20, Reed 17. Q4 was theirs, 34-19, the deficit cut from 23 to 8, but the other 3 periods went 84-61 against them. Martin's -17 in 17 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/10 @ NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 99 a night and allowing 103, shooting 42 percent and 35 from three, 15 free throws a game; DiVincenzo at 20 and Brunson at 18 a game. Without Anunoby (17 straight), Robinson (42 straight). One day's rest. Philadelphia comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 112, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Oubre Jr. at 24 and Harris at 21 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Maxey (3 straight), Embiid (17 straight), Melton (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the defense, New York allowing 103 a night to Philadelphia's 112 and the line, where Philadelphia takes 20 free throws a game to New York's 15. Call it New York 111, Philadelphia 108, Philadelphia keeping it close.
3/12 @ NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 95 a night and allowing 95, shooting 41 percent and 34 from three, 14 free throws a game; DiVincenzo at 18 and Brunson at 18 a game. Without Anunoby (18 straight), Robinson (43 straight). One day's rest. Philadelphia comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 102 a night and allowing 104, shooting 42 percent and 32 from three, 21 free throws a game; Oubre Jr. at 23 and Harris at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Maxey (4 straight), Embiid (18 straight), Melton (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-2 a night and Philadelphia minus-5 and the line, where Philadelphia takes 21 free throws a game to New York's 14. Call it New York 107, Philadelphia 105, Philadelphia keeping it close.
3/14 @ MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 120, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 30 and Lillard at 27 a game. Without Middleton (15 straight). One day's rest. Philadelphia comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 94 a night and allowing 102, shooting 41 percent and 31 from three, 18 free throws a game; Oubre Jr. at 22 and Reed at 13 a game. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Embiid (19 straight), Melton (7 straight), Covington (33 straight). One day's rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, and the game turns on the defense, Philadelphia allowing 102 a night to Milwaukee's 120 and the line, where Milwaukee takes 24 free throws a game to Philadelphia's 18. Call it Milwaukee 112, Philadelphia 111, Philadelphia keeping it close.
3/16 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 93 a night and allowing 102, shooting 41 percent and 33 from three, 17 free throws a game; Oubre Jr. at 18 and Reed at 13 a game. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Embiid (20 straight), Melton (8 straight), Covington (34 straight). One day's rest. Charlotte comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 106, shooting 44 percent and 28 from three, 19 free throws a game; Bridges at 25 and Miller at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the arc, Philadelphia at 33 percent from three to Charlotte's 28. Call it Philadelphia 110, Charlotte 104.
2/27 @ NYK 115-92 — NOP notes
NOP won 115-92. NOP shot 51% (39 of 77) to NYK's 37%, 18 of 34 from three. Murphy III led with 26 (9 of 14, 6 of 11 from three); Ingram added 24, Williamson 21. The hinge was Q4, 41-25: a lead of 7 became 23. Valančiūnas was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
2/28 @ IND 114-123 — NOP notes
NOP lost 114-123. NOP shot 47% (42 of 90) to IND's 49%, 11 of 29 from three, and went to the line 23 times to IND's 9 — 19 points from the stripe to their 9. The glass went 40-50 against them. Ingram led with 30 (8 of 20, 1 of 5 from three, 13 of 13 at the line); McCollum added 23, Williamson 23. Q2 was theirs, 29-24, the deficit cut from 16 to 11, but the other 3 periods went 99-85 against them. McCollum's -19 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/01 vs IND 129-102 — NOP notes
NOP won 129-102. NOP shot 56% (48 of 86) to IND's 42%, 15 of 32 from three, and went to the line 26 times to IND's 18 — 18 points from the stripe to their 12. Ingram led with 34 (13 of 21, 7 of 9 at the line); Murphy III added 28, Valančiūnas 15. The hinge was Q1, 48-26: from level to 22 ahead, and the lead reached 36. Ingram was the night's best plus/minus at +45.
3/05 @ TOR 139-98 — NOP notes
NOP won 139-98. NOP shot 50% (53 of 105) to TOR's 39%, 24 of 49 from three, and got to the line 11 times to TOR's 22. The glass went 62-45 for them. Murphy III led with 34 (11 of 17, 10 of 14 from three); Jones added 17, Williamson 16. The hinge was Q1, 42-28: from level to 14 ahead, and the lead reached 43. Murphy III was the night's best plus/minus at +44.
3/08 @ PHI 103-95 — NOP notes
NOP won 103-95. NOP shot 44% (35 of 79) to PHI's 40%, 11 of 31 from three. Williamson led with 23 (7 of 14, 9 of 9 at the line); Marshall added 19, Ingram 17. The hinge was Q1, 36-15: from level to 21 ahead, and the lead reached 35. Marshall was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
3/10 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 106, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Murray at 26 and Hunter at 16 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Young (7 straight), Okongwu (9 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 102, shooting 50 percent and 45 from three, 21 free throws a game; Ingram at 23 and Murphy III at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Daniels (11 straight). One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, New Orleans at 45 percent from three to Atlanta's 35. Call it New Orleans 115, Atlanta 111, Atlanta keeping it close.
3/13 vs CLE — 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 120 a night and allowing 104, shooting 51 percent and 45 from three, 21 free throws a game; Murphy III at 22 and Ingram at 20 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Daniels (12 straight), Hawkins (2 straight). 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 111, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Garland at 22 and Allen at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Mitchell (7 straight), Strus (5 straight), Eva. Mobley (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the arc, New Orleans at 45 percent from three to Cleveland's 35 and the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-4 a night and Cleveland minus-5. Call it New Orleans 116, Cleveland 107.
3/15 vs LAC — 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 116 a night and allowing 103, shooting 50 percent and 42 from three, 22 free throws a game; Murphy III at 22 and Williamson at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Daniels (13 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 114, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; George at 23 and Leonard at 20 a game. Without Westbrook (7 straight), Tucker (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 103 a night to the Clippers' 114 and the arc, New Orleans at 42 percent from three to the Clippers' 38. Call it New Orleans 117, the Clippers 109.
3/16 vs POR — 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 113 a night and allowing 103, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; Williamson at 27 and Murphy III at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Daniels (14 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Portland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 114, shooting 44 percent and 38 from three, 18 free throws a game; Ayton at 29 and Simons at 25 a game. Without Sharpe (29 straight), Walker (5 straight), Rupert (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 103 a night to Portland's 114 and the turnovers, Portland giving it away 15 times a game to New Orleans's 11. Call it New Orleans 115, Portland 107.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
PHIBH B. Hield
CP C. Payne
JD J. Dowtin Jr.
KL K. Lowry
KM K. Martin
KO K. Oubre Jr.
MB M. Bamba
PR P. Reed
RC R. Council IV
TH T. Harris
NOPBI B. Ingram
CM C. McCollum
HJ H. Jones
JA J. Alvarado
JV J. Valančiūnas
LN L. Nance Jr.
NM N. Marshall
TM T. Murphy III
VA Valanciunas
ZW Z. Williamson
PHI/NOP 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
Pelicans charge to a 35-point lead, hold on to beat the slumping 76ers 103-95
PHILADELPHIA -- — Willie Green was in awe as he watched the New Oreland Pelicans make stops, rebound, play with force and hit 3s in bunches. It was the kind of play over the first 24 minutes on Friday night that's been a staple of recent romps against undermanned, overwhelmed teams in the East — like the Philadelphia 76ers .
“The first half was just a beautiful display of basketball,” said Green, the third-year coach of the Pelicans.
Now, about that second half.
Left with seemingly little shot at victory down 35 points and the Philly crowd booing, the Sixers instead reversed their wretched play and tried to rally in the fourth quarter. Bucket after bucket made it a thrilling — yet familiar — ending in Philadelphia.
Zion Williamson had 23 points and 12 rebounds and Naji Marshall scored 19 points to lead the Pelicans to a 103-95 win over a 76ers team spiraling without injured All-Stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey .
“A win is a win and we found a way at the end of the game to pull it through,” Pelicans guard Brandon Ingram said. “That's all that matters.”
The Pelicans held on after a 35-point lead was trimmed to five on a Jeff Dowtin Jr . 3-pointer with 45 seconds left in the game. The 76ers scored 34 points in a hard-charging fourth quarter, but simply ran out of time to complete a comeback.
Tobias Harris had 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Sixers, and Kelly Oubre Jr . scored 20.
The Sixers, who entered the game seventh in the Eastern Conference standings, lost for the 15th time in 21 games.
They are 6-11 since Embiid went down on Jan. 30, when Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga fell on the 7-footer’s left leg. There is still no timetable on Embiid’s return from knee surgery.
The 76ers lost their third straight game without Maxey, who is recovering from a concussion. Maxey lost his balance on a drive Sunday in the third quarter of a game at Dallas and banged his head on another player’s knee. He left the game, but was able to return and finish.
Coach Nick Nurse said Maxey was “doing just fine” following the steps of the NBA concussion protocol and hopeful of returning for Sunday’s game against the Knicks.
Think the 76ers miss their franchise stars? The Sixers scored only 15 points in the first quarter and went nearly three minutes into the second quarter before they scored a point. The 76ers missed 18 of 20 3s in the first half.
“We’re missing Joel, we missed Tyrese the last couple of games,” 76ers guard Kyle Lowry said. “I think we have time to figure it out. We’ve got to get healthy and get to a position where we can compete.”
In addition to their biggest names sitting out, the Sixers have been riddled by injuries — Nic Batum (left foot soreness) was added to a list of absent players that also included Robert Covington (knee) and De'Anthony Melton (back).
“I’m in super-evaluation mode,” Nurse said. “I want to see who can execute what we’re going to need to execute when we get our people back.”
The Pelicans hit five 3s and made a whopping 14 of 20 shots overall in the first quarter to grab a 23-point lead and remain n fifth in the West.
“We did a great job building the lead. ...," Green said. “Don't give it all away by getting too relaxed. I felt we got a bit relaxed and (Philly) turned it up.”
The Pelicans led 50-20 and had another rout in sight before letting the Sixers get tantalizing close in the waning moments. They tied a franchise record with a 48-point first quarter last Friday in a 27-point win over the Pacers. New Orleans won by 41 points and handed the short-handed Raptors the worst home defeat in franchise history on Tuesday.