The Pelicans’ preseason opener in Tulsa gave Jahmal Mosley his first look at this group in game action, and the 116-110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder came with a little bit of everything: a shaky start, a bench surge, some encouraging signs from Zion Williamson and a few ugly numbers at the stripe.
Mosley, who was celebrating his 48th birthday, rolled out a starting five of Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy, Zion Williamson and Yves Missi. He had already warned at Saturday’s practice not to read too much into lineups, and he repeated that message before tipoff Tuesday night.
Still, the group on the floor looked like the one New Orleans will likely use when it opens the season against the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 21.
Oklahoma City, by contrast, sat out its biggest names, including 2-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder started Jared McCain, Bennett Stirtz, Ajay Mitchell, Aday Mara and former Pelican Kenrich Williams.
The real swing in the game came from the second unit. Jeremiah Fears, Jordan Poole, Bennedict Mathurin, Saddiq Bey and Derik Queen helped flip the night with an 18-0 run in the third quarter, turning a game the Pelicans had trailed by as many as 24 points into something much more manageable.
Fears had one of the sequence’s most notable plays when he defended well enough to force a shot clock violation. Mathurin led New Orleans with 13 points and five rebounds, while Fears added 12.
Murphy and Williamson scored 12 apiece, and Queen posted 10 points and nine rebounds. Every Pelicans reserve finished with a positive plus/minus.
None of the starters did.
That contrast told the story of the night on the defensive end, too. Mosley was brought in to help sharpen that side of the floor, but the first preseason game showed how much work remains.
New Orleans’ starters had trouble getting stops, and Oklahoma City was scorching from deep early, hitting 10 of its first 13 3-pointers and 13 of 21 in the first half for 61.9%. Mosley pointed to breakdowns that forced help and rotations.
“A lot of it was the breakdown of individual defense,” Mosley said. “Now we’re having to force help.
And now there’s rotations. And that’s why OKC shot the heck out of the ball for the entire game.”
There was at least one offensive development worth noting from Williamson. He has spent plenty of time in practice working on 3-pointers, and the preseason opener gave an early answer about whether that would carry over into games.
He took his first attempt from long range with 10:48 left in the first quarter and missed. He tried again in the first two minutes of the third and knocked it down, finishing 1-for-2 from beyond the arc.
For a player who attempted only four 3s all of last season, simply taking the shots when they’re there is part of the point.
The free throws were a mixed bag. New Orleans got to the line often, which is a positive.
But the finishing touch wasn’t there. The Pelicans were 13 of 21 at the line in the first half and ended the game 34 of 47.
That kind of leakage can make a game harder than it needs to be.
In Other News...
Bryce McGowens May Be Solving A Pelicans Rotation Need
Bryce McGowens spent the offseason trying to make himself harder to ignore, and the early signs point to the kind of progress the Pelicans were hoping for when they brought him up from a two-way deal to a standard contract last season. The focus was on defense and added strength, and he reportedly put on 8 pounds while working to round out the parts of his game that usually decide whether a young wing sticks or slides back down the depth chart.
McGowens already showed he can help offensively, averaging 8.1 points while hitting 40.9 percent from three-point range in 21 minutes per game last season. If the defensive gains carry over, he has a real chance to carve out a steady role in coach Jamahl Mosleys rotation, which is the kind of development New Orleans could use as it looks for reliable options on the wing. [Read more 🡒]
Pelicans Get Their First Real Test Of A Defense First Reset
Six days into training camp under new head coach Jamahl Mosley, the Pelicans are already getting a clearer picture of what this reset is supposed to look like. The emphasis has been on defense from the start, and the preseason opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder gives New Orleans its first real chance to see how the system holds up against a quality opponent rather than just in practice settings.
The good news for the Pelicans is that the roster is healthy, which gives Mosley a full group to work with as he sorts through rotations and roles. New Orleans plans to play everybody across four preseason games before the regular season begins, so this first matchup is less about the scoreboard than about how quickly the team can translate camp work into something sharper, tougher and more connected on the floor. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Fans Wont Get A Full First Look In Preseason Opener
The Thunder open preseason against the Pelicans in Tulsa, but the first look at Oklahoma Citys group will come with some of the teams biggest names sitting out. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren are resting as part of a planned back-to-back preseason setup, which means the night is more about the supporting cast and early roster evaluation than any full-scale preview of the regular season team.
Oklahoma City is also still waiting on two of its younger pieces to get fully up to speed. Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber were not fully available in training camp while recovering from injuries, leaving the Thunder with a thinner roster than usual for an exhibition that was supposed to offer an early read on where things stand. For Pelicans fans watching from the other side, it turns the opener into a useful measuring stick, but not quite the complete preview some had hoped for. [Read more 🡒]