The New Orleans Pelicans’ bubble run has turned sour after they lost two consecutive games during the opening week of the seeding matches.
There are two sides to the same coin during the NBA bubble’s seeding games. On one side, top teams don’t have much to play for as their Playoffs berth is locked in. On the other, teams outside the Playoffs picture still have the chance to knock one out to climb up the eighth spot.
It is on the second side of the coin where the New Orleans Pelicans belong. The hype around the team entering the bubble was palpable. Many expected that they’d fight tooth and nail to bump the Grizzlies out of the Playoffs. However, the contrary could not be truer.
New Orleans Pelicans fumbles
The Pelicans first faced off with the Utah Jazz with a thrilling game. The Jazz escaped with a two-point lead, which gave the Pels their first L of the eight seeding games. The game was scrappy, and it showed that the young Pelicans team want to go toe-to-toe with the more experienced Jazz led by Rudy Gobert. Unfortunately, they fell short.
They didn’t look winded from the prolonged rest. The team just looked sloppy by giving up a 16-point lead to the Jazz. Overall, the team had 20 turnovers during their first game. Some slack could still be given to the team, and they fought hard till the end anyway.
This about sums it up. pic.twitter.com/Lq7D23x20V
— David Grubb (@DMGrubb) August 1, 2020
Clippers blew out the Pelicans easily
The same slack couldn’t be extended during their second game against the Clippers. Their matchup was an eye-sore, which led virtual fans to leave their virtual seats even before the end of the game. Yes, they faced against the potential NBA champions. Yes, they had to go up against a fully healthy Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Unfortunately, these aren’t excuses for the team to be handed a massive 23 point deficit to end the game. Their match was practically over after the first half after trailing 32 points. The Pelicans’ defense was practically nonexistent, and Ingram knew it. He said,
“Being on the floor and getting our ass whupped the whole time, we just use that as juice to come in [and get back to work]. We can’t lose too many more games. We probably can’t lose any more games. So we just have to have a sense of urgency on Monday and fight for everything we’re trying to get.”
He couldn’t be more correct on this one. They have to win all six of their games and hope that both the Blazers and the Grizzlies flop. Otherwise, they could kiss their Playoffs hopes goodbye.
Image from MLG Highlights/ YouTube thumbnail