Doc Rivers Discusses Difference Between Two Games vs. Pelicans

After sounding off on his players' performance against the Pelicans on Friday night, Doc Rivers liked what he saw out of his team in the rematch on Monday.

The Philadelphia 76ers and the New Orleans Pelicans faced each other twice within a few days. Last Friday, the Sixers made a stop in New Orleans on their three-game road trip. At the time, the Pelicans were tied at the top of the Western Conference, while the Sixers were on a one-game losing streak after seeing their eight-game win streak snap.

The home team last Friday night lit it up from beyond the arc. Not only did the Pelicans knock down nearly 50 percent of their 31 three-point attempts, but the Sixers didn’t do themselves any favors by turning the ball over 18 times and struggling in transition defense. After the game, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers sounded off on the performance.

“We gave up 30 points off of 19 turnovers. We gave up another 14 points off of offensive rebounds. That’s 44 points before you even start the game,” said Rivers. “That’s like spotting a team 44 points and saying, ‘Now, let’s play.’ You’re not gonna win that game. I thought early on we guarded them well, then (McCollum) got going. I thought we started the game out well, got a good lead, then the second group struggled a little bit for us. I thought that was the turning point of the game.”

Going into Monday night’s rematch against the Pelicans in South Philly, Rivers made it clear before the game that minimizing turnovers and being better in transition was the key to getting revenge over the Pelicans, who were coming off of a loss against the Memphis Grizzlies.

The start of Monday’s game resembled Friday’s, as the Sixers’ hot start quickly turned into a small Pelicans lead. However, the Sixers re-grouped and figured out a way to stay in control of the matchup. 

What was the difference between Friday’s loss and Monday’s victory? Doc Rivers weighed in after the matchup.

“We didn’t turn the ball over as much, and so that was obvious, and that allowed us to set up our defense,” said the head coach. “In the fourth, I thought they started getting in transition on us again, but overall, just taking them out of transition because of not turning the ball over, being a pretty efficient offense, really helped our defense.”

Philadelphia won the turnover battle this time around. With just ten turnovers, New Orleans generated fewer than ten points compared to the 30 points the Sixers gave up the other night. Meanwhile, the Pelicans turned the ball over 17 times, which helped the Sixers produce 20 points. 

In the end, the Sixers put the Pelicans away with a 120-111 victory. That game marks the second and final time the Sixers and the Pelicans will face each other this season. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.