The 2022-2023 NBA Season is officially over for the New Orleans Pelicans, after last night’s heartbreaking 123-118 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder last night. A disappointing end to what started out as a promising year for the Pels faithful under 2nd-year head coach Willie Green. Jose Alvarado and star player Zion Williamson both did not participate in last night’s Play-In game, in addition to Larry Nance Jr.
There are frustrations all around both the locker room and Pels Twitter alike. Prior to being plagued with the injury bug, the Pelicans were sitting atop of the Western Conference. CJ McCollum spoke to media after the game, and made it perfectly clear about how he felt about not having the likes of Zion out on the court with them:
“We need our best players on the court. We need to be able to play extensive minutes together, especially in meaningful games, in big games, and really showcase what we have to offer. For us to make a real playoff run, that’s what it’s going to take.”
Zion suffered a hamstring injury back in early January, and has never seen the court since. I wonder if it has to do with the fact that Zion himself reportedly said that he felt physically fine, but didn’t want to step back out on the court until he felt like himself?
“Physically I’m fine, now it’s just a matter of when I feel like Zion. … I understand the magnitude of these games coming up and I don’t want to be out there hesitating or doing something that may affect my team in a bad way.”
It sounded pretty clear that his confidence was shaken after suffering another major injury, which is unfortunate. Just his presence alone on the court would’ve potentially given the Pels a win last night.
In addition to another stellar performance by star players Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey – both of whom put together 30+ points and 5+ rebounds, they’ve had surprisingly pleasant contributions from Luguentz Dort. His 27-point game is one of his best outings, if not THE best, he’s had all season. Additionally, Dort was doing the dirty work defensively against Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram, especially in the third quarter.
The third quarter was what ultimately separated these two teams, as OKC put together a dominant 39-24 quarter run entering the 4th.
CJ McCollum on #Pelicans: "We need our best players on the court. We need to be able to play extensive minutes together, especially in meaningful games, in big games, and really showcase what we have to offer. For us to make a real playoff run, that's what it's going to take."
— Jim Eichenhofer (@Jim_Eichenhofer) April 13, 2023
Zion says he'll return when he feels like himself again.
More: https://t.co/L9voYlqQDk pic.twitter.com/cOdnl0AQMP
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 12, 2023