Pelicans Scoop

Pelicans Grind Out Win Against Pistons

The win extends the Pelicans' win streak to five games.

Terry Kimble

Pelicans Grind Out Win Against Pistons
Pelicans Grind Out Win Against Pistons /
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NEW ORLEANS - Winning ugly beats losing pretty is how the New Orleans Pelicans defeated Detroit Pistons 104-98 on Wednesday night.

Zion
Dec 7, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) looks on against the Detroit Pistons during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The game on paper seemed like a mismatch, with Detroit rebuilding and entering Smoothie King with a 7-19 season record. New Orleans was inching closer as the Western Conference No. 1 seed by winning 9 of their last 11 games. But on the contrary, the contest was anything but lopsided. 

The Pelicans came out sluggish, allowing the Pistons to gain an early advantage. Detroit was leading 28-27 after the 1st quarter before the Pelicans dialed up the defensive intensity in the 2nd quarter. 

New Orleans held the Pistons to 15 points and ended the half on a 14-3 run. The Pelicans were up 56-43 and seemed poised to pull away in the 2nd half. The young Detroit team would not go away quietly and capitalized on New Orleans's many mistakes throughout the game.

The Pelicans committed 19 turnovers, and the Pistons converted those into 17 points. 

Detroit was +21 from beyond the arc, while New Orleans struggled in the area by shooting 29% and 45% overall from the field. 

One person who didn't struggle was Zion Williamson, who again had a monster night with 29 points and 10 rebounds, notched his 5th double-double on the season. 

Zion had help in the form of Trey Murphy III, who once again got the start in place of the injured Brandon Ingram and Herb Jones. Murphy scored 20 points on 4/9 from the three-point line while also dishing out a career-high five assists. 

The game's top performance went to Naji Marshall, who scored 17 points off the bench and provided tremendous energy and defense the entire night. His putback shot with less than a minute left iced the game for New Orleans. Naji was the only bench player to score in double-figures, and he proved to be just the spark the Pelicans needed in the game.

Detroit was led in scoring by Saddiq Bey scored 25 points off the Piston's bench. However, the Pistons were no match for the Pelicans in the paint. The Pels outscored the Pistons 62-38 in paint points and outrebounded Detroit 50-42 on the evening.

The Pelicans' five-game winning streak is the longest since the 2017-2018 season before hosting a pair of games against the Phoenix Suns Friday and Sunday. New Orleans is 16-8 and hopes to remain strong, supporting their 10-3 home record at the Smoothie King Center.

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Terry Kimble
TERRY KIMBLE

Pelicans Scoop Writer

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