The New Orleans Pelicans are one win away from a spot in the Western Conference playoffs after beating the San Antonio Spurs 113-103 in the 9-on-10 matchup of the NBA play-in tournament Wednesday night.
CJ McCollum finished the win with a game-high 32 points, seven assists and six rebounds, while Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas both surpassed the 20-point plateau to lead offense for New Orleans. San Antonio also tied on offense, with six players in double figures, and put on a great run in the second half to slash their lead to just six points. In the end, however, it wasn’t enough to catch up.
With the win, New Orleans advances to face the Los Angeles Clippers in an eliminator Friday night for the right to finish No. 8 in the Western Conference and meet the top-ranked Phoenix Suns in the first round.
Here are three takeaways, along with a recap of our live updates from the game.
1. Pelicans Bucket Catcher
Individual shots often come down to the playoffs, and the Pelicans have two of the best in the business in CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram. On Wednesday, Ingram did much of his damage by heading for the edge and getting to the foul line early, then McCollum got to work, displaying a seemingly endless series of backsteps and stuttering steps. At times they were both undefensible – at least by one person – and it shows how dynamic this team can be on offense. I mean what are you supposed to do with it?
They got a little cold in the second half as San Antonio made their run, but they immediately got back to work when the team needed them to seal the win. McCollum and Ingram are big reasons New Orleans will play hard against the Clippers on Friday, and possibly beyond if they make it to the first round against the Phoenix Suns. Then you look ahead to next season, with a healthy Zion Williamson back in the roster, and suddenly the Pelicans seem like a serious contender in the West.
2. Not on herb
If only a few days later the Postseason Awards votes were due, Herb Jones would certainly have earned a few more votes for All-Defense and All-Rookie teams. The 23-year-old rookie, who is already an NBA Twitter darling, showed his unique defensive talent on the national stage Wednesday, making countless plays that seemed only he could make. Take this game, for example, where he’s picking up a block, a steal, and a dunk (which didn’t count because he was previously fouled on the ground) in a matter of seconds.
Jones has been an integral part of the Pelicans’ success this season, and precisely for that reason. In the postseason, not only can he protect the other team’s best perimeter players, but he’s also a defensive playmaker, picking up steals and blocks that lead to easy buckets at the other end. He’s also shot a respectable 34 percent from 3-point range this season, going 2-4 en route to 12 points, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals on Wednesday.
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3. Pop’s Last Game?
Gregg Popovich has given no sign of retirement and we wouldn’t expect it either, but it’s always possible the 73-year-old coaching legend could find a career move ahead of next season. He won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and became the all-time NBA winning leader earlier this season, so there doesn’t seem to be much left for Pop to do. That being said, he seemed to enjoy coaching a younger team in Rebuild mode and has been a lot… shall we say… more comfortable with the media in recent years.
Whether Popovich retires next week or in another 20 years, he will go down as the greatest NBA coach of all time and one of the greatest coaches of all time in any sport. If this was his last game, his Spurs went down with the typical effort and grace he exerts on all his teams.
After the loss, Popovich was asked if he would be returning for his 27th season, and he answered in true Pop fashion.
“This question is inappropriate,” he said.