October 25, 2024, is no longer a date that will live in New Orleans Pelicans infamy. That was the last time the Pelicans had won on the road and won back-to-back games. Between those 72 days, the Pelicans had fallen from 2-0 and full of optimism to 6-29 and full of…something.
But, for the second time in three nights, New Orleans was able to run past the even lowlier Washington Wizards, 110-98. The Pelicans strung together 17 straight points at the end of the first quarter into the start of the second, giving New Orleans a 36-22 advantage. The Wizards never threatened from that point on.
With the victory the Pelicans earned a sweep of the home-and-home series, taking both games from the Wizards for the second season in a row.
Once again, the Pelicans were led by CJ McCollum. One game after tying his career-high with 50 points, McCollum scored 25 and made six of his 11 three-point attempts. In his last four games, CJ has 25 three-pointers (.543 3P%). On Sunday, he was one of nine Pelicans to make at least one three.
New Orleans made 18 three-pointers against the Wizards, tying its season-high and outscoring Washington by 21 points from beyond the arc. Over the past four games, the Pelicans have knocked down 63 triples, by far their most over any four-game stretch this season and good enough for fifth-best in the NBA over that span. Their 39.1 3P% is tied for third. Four of their seven wins have come when they’ve made at least 14 threes (4-3).
Dejounte Murray collected his first triple-double with the Pelicans, and the 19th of his career, with 14 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds.
Trey Murphy added 22 points (4-10 3PA) before leaving with a left ankle injury. Yves Missi scored 16 on just five shot attempts and blocked three shots, and Herb Jones finished with 11 points.
The Wizards, who played without leading scorer Jordan Poole, were paced by the efforts of Kyle Kuzma. Kuzma scored a game-high 28 points. Missi’s rookie counterpart in the middle, Alex Sarr, had his fourth double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds in just 28 minutes. Sarr trails Missi by four for the rookie lead.
Rookie Bub Carrington finished with 16 on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting, and Jared Butler added a season-high 17 points.
New Orleans won the turnover battle with the Wizards, forcing 16 turnovers while giving it away only 12 times, though they were even in points scored off mistakes (14 each). In their wins this season, the Pelicans have averaged just 11.7 turnovers, compared to their season average of 14.9 per game.
Washington dominated points in the paint for the second straight game, outscoring New Orleans 48-32 inside. However, the Pelicans made a major improvement on the defensive end after allowing the Wizards to score 72 points in the paint on Friday.
While the opponent wasn’t impressive, the Pelicans’ effort in the win was, especially on the defensive end. New Orleans held Washington to 42.7% shooting, the Pelicans’ fourth-best effort of the season. Over two games, the Pelicans only allowed 20 three-pointers to the Wizards, giving them their fourth win when holding teams to 11 or fewer triples.
New Orleans returns home for a tough back-to-back on Tuesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Wednesday, when they host the Trail Blazers. The Pelicans will be looking for their first three-game winning streak since they won four straight from Apr. 7 to Apr. 12 of last season.
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