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Andrew LopezESPN
NEW ORLEANS – For three quarters on Friday night, things were going the same way as the New Orleans Pelicans against the Phoenix Suns.
Pelicans carried an advantage of 11 points in the fourth period, and their attack sounded with 102 points in the first 36 minutes. But the games last 48 minutes. And the 12 finalists would certainly be the ones the Pelicans would like to forget about soon.
The lead evaporated in four minutes. So, not even four minutes later, Suns had double digits. When the final horn sounded, the Suns happily walked off the court with a 132-114 victory, while the Pelicans headed stunned into the locker room, trying to figure out what just happened.
According to a survey by the Elias Sports Bureau, the 18-point loss was the NBA’s biggest in the shooting clock era (since 1954-55) for a team that entered the fourth double-digit period.
So what happened?
“I saw Chris Paul take control of the basketball game,” said Pelicans striker Brandon Ingram.
Paul finished with 15 points, 19 assists and 28 in the fourth period – and he didn’t even play 10 minutes. The veteran point guard helped Suns take control and never looked back.
“The man is orchestrating outside. He knows what is happening on the floor before it even happens,” said Suns guard Devin Booker. “With him, the game is never out of reach. The game never ends until the horn sounds. He did a good job leading us, maintaining our composure throughout the game.
“In that fourth period, it is a work of art. The way he separated their defense and made plays for others and, at the same time, scored when needed.”
Paul was apparently three steps ahead of everything the Pelicans wanted to do in the fourth half. His 3-point drop on Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball, with 4:41 left in the game, was like the dagger to end New Orleans. He ran back onto the court with his teammates chasing him, while Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy asked for a time limit to try to save something in the final minutes.
However, contrary to what social media suggested at the time, Paul did not shout “This place is mine.”
“I said I know this place, I know this place,” said Paul, who played in New Orleans for the first six seasons of his career. “I know. I know. I spent some of the best years of my life playing here in New Orleans.”
While the Suns were trying to figure out a way to win, the Pelicans were trying to figure out how they let the game escape.
“Just because I’m in the game, I don’t think we’re getting demoralized on the offensive side,” said Ball. “Watching them hit 3s in a row, we weren’t getting any ball movement or good shots over the fourth period. It just got worse and worse.”
In addition to the 3-point flood that Phoenix was sending to New Orleans, the Pelicans also got involved with basketball. After committing only seven spins in the first three quarters, Pelicans coughed six times in the first six minutes, leading to 12 points from the Phoenix.
It is a problem that has plagued New Orleans this season. With Friday’s defeat, New Orleans drops to 12-9 this season in games where they had a double-digit advantage. That’s the majority of losses after leading the NBA in double figures this season, according to the ESPN Stats & Information poll.
“The problem is that when chaos is going on, we have to figure out how to settle down,” said Ingram. “We have to be able to adjust during the game.
“Whatever the defensive scheme, whatever we want to do on the offensive side to make our team the best, that’s what we need to do. After those defeats, it’s frustrating. We don’t have much to say. The coaches don’t have much to say say. Just look at the movie and try to be better tomorrow. “
Van Gundy said he doesn’t think his team’s problem is age.
“Many teams in this league have rooms like this,” said Van Gundy. “I will never play the youth card out there. We are a basketball team with really talented people and we didn’t finish the job in the fourth period.”
He called it a “disastrous quarter”, however. And it was. The difference of minus 29 points was the largest for the Pelicans in any quarter of the franchise’s history.
“They were hitting us with hay at the end, so it all became a snowball,” added Van Gundy.
Striker Zion Williamson said there is only one way to deal with a defeat like this.
“In fact, what we want to do is learn from it,” said the 20-year-old. “Honestly, I think it’s the best thing we can do. Learn from it.”