Game ID: 22300311
New Orleans Pelicans @ Washington Wizards
Wednesday, December 13, 2023 at 7:00 PM ET
Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
WAS 30 34 29 29 122NOP 28 47 35 32 142
NOP @ WAS ScoutingNOP @ WAS 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.
WAS availability going into 12/01 · 1 day's restOUT Muscala missed 2 since 11/27, out tonight
OUT Wright missed 10 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 7 since 11/17, out tonight
BACK Butler back 11/25 after 2, 8 min since (55% of 14)
WAS availability going into 12/06 · 4 days' restOUT Muscala missed 3 since 11/27, returns tonight: 6 min (43% of 14)
OUT Wright missed 11 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 8 since 11/17, out tonight
BACK Butler back 11/25 after 2, 8 min since (55% of 14)
WAS availability going into 12/08 · 1 day's restOUT Wright missed 12 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 9 since 11/17, returns tonight: 4 min (30% of 13)
BACK Butler back 11/25 after 2, 9 min since (66% of 14)
BACK Muscala back 11/25 after 5, 12 min since (84% of 14)
WAS availability going into 12/11 · 2 days' restOUT Shamet missed 2 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Wright missed 13 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Davis missed 2 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK Muscala back 12/06 after 3, 11 min since (75% of 14)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 12/08 after 9, 4 min since (30% of 13)
WAS availability going into 12/13 · 1 day's restOUT Shamet missed 3 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Wright missed 14 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Davis missed 3 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK Muscala back 12/06 after 3, 14 min since (98% of 14)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 12/08 after 9, 10 min since (80% of 13)
WAS availability going into 12/15 · 1 day's restOUT Shamet missed 4 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Wright missed 15 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Davis missed 4 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK Muscala back 12/06 after 3, 11 min since (81% of 14)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 12/08 after 9, 8 min since (64% of 13)
WAS availability going into 12/17 · 1 day's restOUT Shamet missed 5 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Wright missed 16 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Davis missed 5 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK Muscala back 12/06 after 3, 13 min since (91% of 14)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 12/08 after 9, 7 min since (54% of 13)
WAS availability going into 12/18 · back-to-backOUT Shamet missed 6 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Wright missed 17 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Davis missed 6 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 12/08 after 9, 7 min since (54% of 13)
WAS availability going into 12/21 · 2 days' restOUT Shamet missed 7 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Wright missed 18 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 2 since 12/17, out tonight
OUT Davis missed 7 since 12/06, out tonight
NOP availability going into 12/02 · back-to-backOUT Nance Jr. missed 2 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 7 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK McCollum back 11/29 after 12, 33 min since (101% of 33)
NEW Valančiūnas 23 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Hawkins 17 to 25 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
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 134, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 25 free throws a game; Kuzma at 21 and Poole at 15 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Shamet (3 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 29 free throws a game; Williamson at 20 and Ingram at 19 a game. Without Nance Jr. (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 117 a night to Washington's 134 and the glass, where New Orleans has been minus-2 a night and Washington minus-9. Call it New Orleans 121, Washington 116.
12/01 @ ORL 125-130 — WAS notes
WAS lost 125-130. WAS shot 51% (45 of 89) to ORL's 52%, 13 of 28 from three. Kuzma led with 27 (10 of 18, 2 of 6 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Gafford added 18, Kispert 15. Q1 was theirs, 36-31, but the other 3 periods went 99-89 against them.
12/06 vs PHI 126-131 — WAS notes
WAS lost 126-131. WAS shot 57% (52 of 92) to PHI's 51%, 14 of 35 from three, and got to the line just 8 times against 22 fouls committed. The glass went 32-43 against them. Poole led with 23 (10 of 16, 3 of 5 from three); Jones added 20, Gafford 18. Q1 was theirs, 29-25, but the other 3 periods went 106-97 against them. They led by as many as 10. Kuzma's -12 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/08 @ BKN 97-124 — WAS notes
WAS lost 97-124. WAS shot 42% (38 of 91) to BKN's 48%, 6 of 33 from three. WAS turned it over 16 times to BKN's 10, and BKN turned those into 8 steals. The glass went 41-55 against them. Kuzma led with 17 (8 of 17, 1 of 4 from three); Avdija added 15, Jones 14. Q2 was theirs, 29-24, the deficit cut from 8 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 100-68 against them. Kuzma's -23 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/11 @ PHI 101-146 — WAS notes
WAS lost 101-146. WAS shot 42% (36 of 85) to PHI's 55%, 9 of 31 from three, and went to the line 31 times to PHI's 25 — 20 points from the stripe to their 22. WAS turned it over 22 times to PHI's 13, and PHI turned those into 14 steals. Kuzma led with 21 (9 of 17); Coulibaly added 13, Butler 12. Q4 was theirs, 34-34, but the other 3 periods went 112-67 against them. Coulibaly's -33 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/13 vs NOP 122-142 — WAS notes
WAS lost 122-142. WAS shot 51% (42 of 82) to NOP's 52%, 19 of 44 from three, and got to the line 24 times to NOP's 30. WAS turned it over 15 times to NOP's 9, and NOP turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 33-46 against them. Kuzma led with 27 (10 of 19, 4 of 8 from three); Coulibaly added 16, Avdija 13. Q1 was theirs, 30-28, but the other 3 periods went 114-92 against them. They led by as many as 15. Kispert's -35 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/15 vs IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 135, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Kuzma at 22 and Poole at 13 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Shamet (4 straight). One day's rest. Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 130 a night and allowing 125, shooting 52 percent and 38 from three, 23 free throws a game; Haliburton at 22 and Turner at 21 a game. Without Nembhard (2 straight), Smith (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Indiana has been plus-2 a night and Washington minus-9 and the defense, Indiana allowing 125 a night to Washington's 135. Call it Indiana 129, Washington 121.
12/17 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 118, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; Durant at 29 and Booker at 29 a game. Without Gordon (2 straight), Okogie (2 straight). One day's rest. Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 133, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Kuzma at 22 and Poole at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Shamet (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the defense, Phoenix allowing 118 a night to Washington's 133 and the glass, where Phoenix has been minus-3 a night and Washington minus-7. Call it Phoenix 123, Washington 115.
12/18 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 114, shooting 48 percent and 42 from three, 19 free throws a game; Fox at 30 and Murray at 23 a game. One day's rest. Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 129, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; Kuzma at 23 and Poole at 15 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Shamet (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the defense, Sacramento allowing 114 a night to Washington's 129 and the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-2 a night and Washington minus-7. Call it Sacramento 125, Washington 113, Sacramento by 12.
12/21 @ POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 121, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Grant at 26 and Simons at 25 a game. Without Murray (3 straight), Mays (3 straight), Rupert (11 straight). One day's rest. Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 133, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 26 free throws a game; Kuzma at 25 and Poole at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Shamet (7 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Portland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Portland allowing 121 a night to Washington's 133. Call it Portland 122, Washington 117.
12/02 @ CHI 118-124 — NOP notes
NOP lost 118-124. NOP shot 50% (41 of 82) to CHI's 55%, 8 of 25 from three, and went to the line 35 times to CHI's 15 — 28 points from the stripe to their 11. Williamson led with 27 (10 of 15, 7 of 9 at the line); Ingram added 23, Jones 17. Q2 was theirs, 32-21, turning a 3-point deficit into a 8-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 103-86 against them. They led by as many as 10. Zeller's -17 in 12 minutes was the worst on the floor.
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 — 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.
12/17 @ 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.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
NOPBI B. Ingram
CM C. McCollum
CZ C. Zeller
DD D. Daniels
HJ H. Jones
JA J. Alvarado
JH J. Hawkins
JR J. Robinson-Earl
JV J. Valančiūnas
KL K. Lewis Jr.
NM N. Marshall
TM T. Murphy III
VA Valanciunas
WASAG A. Gill
BC B. Coulibaly
CK C. Kispert
DA D. Avdija
DG D. Gafford
DG D. Gallinari
JB J. Butler
JP J. Poole
KK K. Kuzma
MM M. Muscala
PB P. Baldwin Jr.
TJ T. Jones
NOP/WAS 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
Brandon Ingram scores a season-high 40 points as the Pelicans beat the Wizards 142-122
WASHINGTON -- — Brandon Ingram scored a season-high 40 points, Trey Murphy III added six 3-pointers and 27 points and the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans had their best offensive showing of the season in a 144-122 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.
Jonas Valanciunas added 16 points and 18 rebounds, and CJ McCollum had 22 points as the Pelicans opened a three-game road trip without two-time All-Star Zion Williamson , who sat out with a sprained ankle.
“We've got a lot of guys on the team who can put the ball in the basket and contribute to winning basketball," Murphy said.
Ingram, Murphy, Valanciunas and McCollum combined to shoot 35 of 56 (62.5%) from the floor as New Orleans eclipsed its previous season high point total of 131.
"For us, it’s really about, no matter who we play, having an understanding that it’s tough to win basketball games in the NBA," Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “We wanted to start the game right. We didn’t, but we got it going and then it’s about finishing play after play.”
Williamson is day to day, according to Green, after he suffered the injury late in Monday’s win against Minnesota.
Kyle Kuzma scored 27 points to lead Washington, which led by 15 points early but trailed from the middle of the second quarter.
Bilal Coulibaly , the seventh pick in the draft, added 16 points while hitting four 3-pointers for just the second time in his young career.
“I think it’s something that he has worked on quite a bit,” Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said of Coulibaly's long-range shooting. “To see him just let it fly, find a rhythm, I think that’s positive.”
The Wizards allowed more than 140 points for the second time this week, losing 146-101 to Philadelphia on Monday. Washington lost for the 20th time in 23 games, the fastest the team has reached that loss total since the 2012-13 season.
The Pelicans erased most of their early deficit by the end of the first quarter and took their first lead when Murphy hit a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to make it 42-40.
McCollum followed with a 3, and Murphy hit a 31-footer as the Pelicans continued a 22-4 run that was part of a 47-point second quarter and 75-point first half. Both marks were season-bests for New Orleans.
“Once he sees one goes in, his range is unlimited,” Green said of Murphy. “And it was on full display tonight.”