Without playing, the Denver Nuggets ended 2022 on a high note since the defeat of the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night allows them to now be alone at the top of the Western Conference. The shock against the Memphis Grizzlies, 3rd in the West, was expected but the suspense only lasted three quarters (83-79). From the start of the last, things turned completely in favor of the Grizzlies who inflicted a 19-4 to start this fourth period and offer themselves a big victory at home (116-101). Morant was of course the main architect of this success. Unsurprisingly, the point guard scored 32 points (13 of 22 shooting) and distributed eight assists.
He thus won his “duel” with Zion Williamson (the first two players selected in the 2019 draft) who scored only 20 points and took 9 rebounds. The interior of the Pelicans has especially committed nine ball losses, an area which has, more generally, cost the Louisiana team dearly (19 lost balls which gave 24 points).
Overall, the Pelicans seemed to pay for the buildup late in the game after playing three games in four days. Willie Green, the coach of New Orleans, did not want to make an excuse: “You have to give credit to the Grizzlies. They were able to manage things at home, they were the most physical team on the pitch, which was always one step ahead of us. » While Memphis continues to be intractable at home (14 wins in 17 games), this result also confirms the difficulties of the Pelicans away, where they have obtained only 7 wins against 9 losses now.
McCollum was slow
Among the other notable performances of the match, it is necessary to retain the 18 points of Desmond Bane or the 21 rebounds taken by Steven Adams (for 10 points), his best total of the season. On the Pelicans side, CJ McCollum, after his performance on Friday (42 points including 11 three-point baskets), missed his match with only 10 points and a 1 out of 7 behind the arc. This result offers a nice grouping at the top of the Western Conference since Denver (23 v.-12 d.), New Orleans (23 v.-13 d.) and Memphis (22 v.-13 d.) stand in a victory only.