Practice Report

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Jim Eichenhofer

One annual tradition of the NBA playoffs is for media members and fans to offer helpful strategy suggestions to coaching staffs who trail in a series, on things like which players should log more minutes and which lineup alterations could produce better results.

Following Sunday’s practice in Metairie, third-year New Orleans head coach Willie Green indicated that he and Pelicans coaches are exploring several possibilities, in an effort to change the results vs. Oklahoma City. The top-seeded Thunder seized a 3-0 series lead in their Western Conference quarterfinal Saturday, posting a second straight victory over the Pelicans by 20-plus points.

“It’s definitely ‘All cards on the table,’ ” Green said of not ruling out many ideas. “So we’ll continue to look at lineups. We’ll look at mixing our defense up. Maybe (using) some small (lineups), maybe adding some more shooting to the lineups. We’re definitely looking at it.”

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Willie Green on Game 4 adjustments vs. Thunder | Pelicans Practice 4/28/24

New Orleans has gone from shooting 38.3 percent on three-point attempts during the regular season (fourth among the 30 NBA teams) to just 27.8 percent in the playoffs (14th among 16 clubs). Green on the major drop-off by the Pelicans in that category: “We got good shots (in Game 3). We missed them. It’s been a theme of this series, is that we played good defense – halfcourt defense was solid – but we’re turning the ball over, and we’re missing quality shots. We’ve got to make some of them. That takes some of the pressure off defensively, and it’s not the end of the world because you miss a shot. Right now we have this feeling as a group that every shot is weighted, because we’re putting a ton of pressure on ourselves.” …

The subpar shooting (40.3 percent from the field) has combined with an outbreak of turnovers over the past two games (21 in Game 3), as well as some less-than-ideal shot selection at times. All of those things have helped to ignite Oklahoma City’s offense at the other end of the floor. The Thunder haven’t needed much assistance over the past two games, at a combined 31/65 from three-point range.

“There are some good ones (in terms of Pelicans shot selection), but there are some tough shots that lead to transition opportunities for OKC,” Green said. “We’ve got to try to take a quality shot every time down the floor. When we do it, we get offensive rebounding position and we can get back and set our defense. We have to take care of the ball. Those two things offensively are key for us.” …

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Larry Nance Jr. on team's Game 4 outlook, OKC's talent | Pelicans Practice 4/28/24

The injured Zion Williamson (left hamstring strain) was on the practice court Sunday, but only for minimal activity. Green: “He’s just getting on the court, dribbling a little bit. You know you have to be careful with the hamstring. You don’t want to move too quickly. But he is getting better.” Green said Williamson is not running yet. …

Green on ways to get Brandon Ingram (16.3 ppg, 42 percent from the field in series vs. OKC) in better position offensively: “Trying to play faster. Trying to score before the defense is set. Once they get in the halfcourt and (rugged defender Lu) Dort is on him, it’s been a struggle. But when (Ingram is) playing faster, and the ball is moving side to side, we tend to get better quality looks.”

Larry Nance Jr. on the same topic: “Movement, movement, movement (is important). Right now we’re just real stagnant in terms of our iso stuff. You see the result.” …

Asked if it’s a challenge to maintain intensity and effort with the Pelicans down 0-3, Nance responded, “It’s not a mental battle at all for me. Don’t quit. I don’t care if we’re down 25, 30, or up 30 tomorrow, you’re going to get the same level of effort and energy. I’m going to give all I got, and I know these guys (other New Orleans players) will too.”

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Pelicans practice report: 'All cards on table' in final chance for New Orleans to extend season

Among the indelible highlights from New Orleans’ trip to the 2022 playoffs was a Jose Alvarado out-of-nowhere, fourth-quarter steal of Phoenix point guard Chris Paul in Game 4, leading to a Herb Jones reverse layup that caused the Smoothie King Center crowd to come unglued. The Jones bucket helped seal a Pelicans home victory and evened the series at two games apiece. Though the Suns ultimately prevailed 4-2, that first-round matchup and atmosphere in the Blender produced a few lasting memories.

“Really an elite atmosphere,” New Orleans forward Trey Murphy remembered after Friday’s practice of the raucous home environment in ’22. “Everybody was really into the game. Everybody was loud, rambunctious. It definitely fueled us in our games. (We are) definitely going to need that Saturday and Monday.”

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Trey Murphy III & Jose Alvarado on Game 3 vs. OKC Thunder 4/26/24

At 2:30 p.m. Saturday, the eighth-seeded Pelicans will host top-seeded Oklahoma City in their first home playoff game in almost exactly two years (April 28, 2022). For Alvarado, a return to the Smoothie King Center for playoff basketball brought to mind some of the most enjoyable moments of his pro career.

“It was fun. I remember it being fun,” Alvarado said. “Had a lot of fun out there. That’s what we’ve got to do Saturday. It’s going to start with the crowd. We’ve got to get them going.”

“Getting back home is healthy for us,” said head coach Willie Green, who guided the Pelicans to the playoffs two years ago in his rookie campaign as sideline leader. “You get to sleep in your own bed. We’re excited to play in front of our fans.”

New Orleans players understand they must perform much better in Game 3 to gain the full impact of fans who will be wearing red “Get Loud” T-shirts, giving the crowd reasons to yell.

“That’s what I do, bring that type of energy,” Alvarado said, when asked about getting the audience involved in Game 3. “You’ve got to make plays to make it happen. You can’t just go out there. I’ve got to go make plays, regardless of if that’s scoring or not. Most likely, I want to make them on the defensive end and get everybody going.”

Green mentioned guarding Oklahoma City better individually as a key to improvement, as well as taking better care of the ball (the Pelicans committed 18 turnovers Wednesday, including eight offensive fouls). Green added: “(The Thunder) were the aggressors in Game 2, more physical than we were. We have to up the level in those areas.” …

On NOLA’s eight offensive fouls, Green noted, “That’s not something I’ve seen in awhile.” …

Green on Larry Nance Jr., who left Game 2 with a right leg injury: “He went through a full practice, so that’s a positive sign. He had a little soreness after the game, but today he went through a full practice, so that’s good for us.” …

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Willie Green on Game 3 adjustments vs. OKC Thunder 4/26/24

Green on his message and emphasis to Brandon Ingram, who shot just 37 percent from the field in the two games at OKC: “Keep making winning plays on both ends of the floor. For our whole team, we don’t want to put a whole bunch of focus on trying to force-feed (one player or one option). If we make winning plays over and over again, everything will open up for us.” …

Alvarado on the Pelicans’ outlook in the series trailing 0-2 vs. the Thunder: “They beat us twice at their crib. Now it’s time to take care of homecourt. They did what they were supposed to do, no matter how much we lost by. You’ve got to look past it and protect our house.”

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Pelicans practice report: New Orleans eager to return to home playoff stage

Zion Williamson was playing the best basketball of his pro career, scoring 40 points in his NBA postseason debut Tuesday, as well as 31 points on April 11 during New Orleans’ fifth straight win over Sacramento of 2023-24. The Pelicans won’t have the two-time All-Star power forward on the floor Friday in their sixth meeting with the Kings due to a hamstring injury, instead needing to rely on some of what’s made them effective in previous instances when the 23-year-old was sidelined. New Orleans went 7-5 in the dozen regular season games Williamson missed, including wins at Cleveland, Dallas and Sacramento (the latter a 33-point rout on Jan. 7).

“It was tough news for sure,” third-year Pelicans head coach Willie Green said of Williamson being injured and a DNP for Friday’s Western Conference play-in elimination game vs. Sacramento. “He’s upset. Disappointed. No way around it. It was tough news. We are all rallying around him, and going to support him as best as we can.”

Green gathered the Pelicans at Thursday’s practice and discussed the team’s ability to still reach the West playoffs (and earn a date vs. No. 1 seed Oklahoma City).

“The message to the team is we’ve faced adversity before, and here it is again, staring us right in the eyes,” Green said. “This is an opportunity we can take advantage of.”

New Orleans went 25-16 in the regular season with its primary starting lineup intact, but also had excellent results with exactly one starter out of the mix (Trey Murphy was 15-8 as a fill-in starter, for example).

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green's post-practice interview from the Ochsner Sports Performance Center on Thursday, April 18 ahead of their game against the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Play-In Tournament during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Willie Green talks Zion Williamson's injury, Play-In Tournament game | Pelicans Practice 4/18/24

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado's post-practice interview from the Ochsner Sports Performance Center on Thursday, April 18 ahead of their game against the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Play-In Tournament during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Jose Alvarado talks his status, matchup against Sacramento Kings | Pelicans Practice 4/18/24

New Orleans Pelicans forward/center Larry Nance Jr.'s post-practice interview from the Ochsner Sports Performance Center on Thursday, April 18 ahead of their game against the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Play-In Tournament during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Larry Nance Jr. talks Zion Williamson injury, game vs Sacramento Kings | Pelicans Practice 4/18/24

There will be significant discussion about NOLA’s 5-0 record vs. Sacramento entering Friday’s matchup, but Green said of those results, “Right now we have to block that out. Yes, we’ll watch some tape on them. We have a recipe of what we believe allowed us to be successful, but this is going to be a different game. We have to embrace that. I’m extremely excited about the opportunity we’ve given ourselves.”

Pelicans center Larry Nance Jr. on the team’s outlook given its success vs. Sacramento: “There’s a difference between confidence and cockiness. We’re going to go into (Friday) confident, because we deserve to and earned the right to go in confident. But we ain’t going in cocky. We recognize where we’re at – we just lost two (games) to the Lakers on our homecourt. I don’t know if it’s ever been done, beating a team six times. It’s something we know is not going to be easy or a walk in the park.” …

Green on Brandon Ingram, who will be playing his third game Friday since returning from a knee injury: “He had a great practice today, came in early (yesterday) to get some work in. He’s knocking off some rust. He’s been out four weeks or so. He looked great today. He’s playing with force, had a really good practice, sharp, and we look forward to him getting back on the floor tomorrow and getting after it.”

Point guard Jose Alvarado on Ingram: “He’s ready. If we win that game (Friday), it’s going to because of him.” …

Green on the Pelicans facing similar shorthanded situations in the recent past: “I have a ton of confidence in this group. We’ve been in this scenario before. We’ve been in these types of games before. They’re well aware of what’s ahead of us. We know we’ve beaten Sacramento five times (in 2023-24), but this is different. This sixth game is going to be the hardest.”

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Pelicans practice report: New Orleans will try to find way to reach playoffs without ascending Zion Williamson

In his first game action in 3 1/2 weeks, New Orleans forward Brandon Ingram logged 23 minutes Sunday, a number reflective of his relatively lengthy layoff since a March 21 knee injury at Orlando. Ingram played at least 25 minutes in 61 of his 64 regular season appearances, with one of the exceptions being a season-low 21 when he departed the Magic game early with a left knee bone contusion.

Pelicans third-year head coach Willie Green indicated after Monday’s practice that Ingram will be on the floor more in Tuesday’s Western Conference play-in tournament game vs. the Los Angeles Lakers, a rematch from a 124-108 Pelicans loss.

“I definitely anticipate his minutes going up tomorrow,” Green said, noting that Ingram recovered well physically from his Sunday game. “He was good. Body felt good, so he had a full practice.”

Ingram returned for a game that decided New Orleans’ postseason seeding, after a stretch in which the Pelicans went 7-5 without the eighth-year pro, but just 1-5 in the Smoothie King Center.

“There are some adjustments to it,” Green said of Ingram exiting the lineup, then resuming his starting role Sunday. “We had that home stretch when we really needed him, and we need him at any time. But then you make some adjustments and figure it out without having him, then you get him back and have to make some more adjustments. He’s a huge part of what we do. That’s what we’re doing now, talking about our rotations and getting BI back on the floor, get him up to speed.”

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green's post-practice interview from the Ochsner Sports Performance Center on Monday, April 15 ahead of their game against the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Play-In Tournament during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Willie Green on rebounding after loss to Lakers, rematch in play-in game | Pelicans Practice 4/15/24

New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III's post-practice interview from the Ochsner Sports Performance Center on Monday, April 15 ahead of their game against the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Play-In Tournament during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Trey Murphy III talks upcoming play-in game against Lakers | Pelicans Practice 4/15/24

New Orleans Pelicans forward/center Larry Nance Jr.'s post-practice interview from the Ochsner Sports Performance Center on Monday, April 15 ahead of their game against the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Play-In Tournament during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Larry Nance Jr. talks defensive adjustments, rematch against Lakers | Pelicans Practice 4/15/24

Green on the Lakers having the upper hand Sunday in aggressiveness, playing a step faster than the Pelicans: “They had us on our heels all game. Playing with force, playing with speed, physicality. We were lacking in all of those areas, pretty much the whole game.” Added reserve center Larry Nance Jr., “They got wherever they wanted. They didn’t really feel us defensively. I feel like we’ve got to have a more physical presence and make sure they know we’re there.” …

Asked if the Pelicans need to change their pick-and-roll coverage in the rematch vs. the Lakers, Nance said, “You’ll find out tomorrow (during the game).” …

Asked about the team’s overall perspective, Green said, “We had a good regular season. We put ourselves in a really good spot. We’ve got a couple cracks at it (in the play-in tournament), to be a playoff team. We like where we are. That’s what we’re going to focus on. Turning the page, being honest about what happened (in Sunday’s defeat). It was a disappointing loss on our home floor. Now we’ve got to regroup and get back after it.”

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Pelicans practice report: Brandon Ingram minutes likely to increase Tuesday

Zion Williamson has played in a career-high 65 games this season, never being sidelined for consecutive contests at any point during the 2023-24 campaign. His ability to add to that tally Friday vs. San Antonio is uncertain, but the two-time All-Star power forward received good news when tests were done Thursday on a finger on his left (shooting) hand. The 23-year-old sustained a contusion after trying to block a fast-break layup by Orlando’s Jalen Suggs in Wednesday’s loss to the Magic.

“Z’s good,” third-year head coach Willie Green said after Thursday’s practice. “X-rays (were) negative. (On the) MRI, everything structurally was fine. He has some soreness in his finger.”

Asked about Williamson’s playing status against the Spurs, Green indicated that it is to be determined.

“We’ll know more probably tomorrow,” Green said, with the Pelicans scheduled to hold a shootaround Friday morning. “We’ll see. We’ll see what happens.”

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green's post-practice interview from the Ochsner Sports Performance Center on Thursday, April 4 during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Willie Green talks officiating, Zion, B.I., & Jose injuries 4/4/24

New Orleans Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels' post-practice interview from the Ochsner Sports Performance Center on Thursday, April 4 during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Dyson Daniels talks Zion Williamson, ejection 4/4/24

New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III's post-practice interview from the Ochsner Sports Performance Center on Thursday, April 4 during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Trey Murphy III talks ejection, sense of urgency 4/4/24

New Orleans (45-31) has dropped to seventh place in the Western Conference, but remains in the midst of a tight race for a higher seed, trailing fifth-place Dallas by a half-game. Green wants his team to remain composed as urgency mounts to turn around a 1-4 record on this homestand.

“Adversity is going to happen at some point,” Green said. “You’re going to run into some moments where we’re not playing our best, playing against some tough opponents.” …

Green on Brandon Ingram (knee) and Jose Alvarado (oblique): “They’re good. Steadily improving.” Both players have been listed as out on recent day-before-game injury reports. The Pelicans will submit their IR for the San Antonio game prior to today’s 5 p.m. local deadline. …

Improbably, three Pelicans players were ejected in the final seven seconds of Wednesday’s game vs. Orlando (Trey Murphy, Dyson Daniels, Herb Jones). Murphy indicated that he was aware why he was kicked out by a referee: “I said a few things that I guess the referee didn’t like, and I got ejected.” Daniels was less clear on why he was disqualified, saying, “I don’t know what Trey and Herb said. I think (the official) was just angry in the moment. Anything he heard, you were going to get thrown out unannounced. I don’t know why I got thrown out, either.” …

There were a few hard fouls and physical plays Wednesday. Asked if he’s noticed an increase in physicality since the All-Star break around the league, Murphy concurred: “All these games I’ve been watching, they’ve all been playoff-like. Everyone is raising their intensity right now.”

Daniels: “I think it’s a lot more physical, and one of the reasons is people are fighting for playoff spots now. It’s really close in the West, even the East as well. People are fighting for their team, every possession counts more, there is more on the line now.” …

Murphy on the mood for Pelicans players in their locker room: “People have a sense of urgency. People are a little angry and (ticked) off, because we want to win right now. We want to get back to the playoffs. That’s been our goal since the beginning of the season. We’re trying to make sure that’s accomplished.”

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Pelicans practice report: Zion Williamson no structural damage to finger on left hand

Pelicans.com

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Orlando Magic game breakdown with team reporter Erin Summers for their game on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 at 7 p.m. CT on the Pelicans Pregame Report presented by Ibotta.

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New Orleans Pelicans vs. Orlando Magic Pregame Report 4/3/2024

Even if New Orleans were at full strength, a six-game stretch bridging March and April figured to be a major challenge, given a schedule filled with elite opponents. After subtracting the Pelicans’ best playmaker and second-leading scorer – along with the second unit’s engine – perhaps it should be less surprising that the team’s offensive efficiency has dipped to just 16th in the NBA since March 22. New Orleans (45-30) is now in sixth place in the Western Conference after going 3-3 without Brandon Ingram – and 1-2 without reserve catalyst Jose Alvarado – putting its pursuit of a top-six seed in jeopardy. Ingram and Alvarado only did minimal work during Tuesday’s practice, making it imperative that the Pelicans figure out how to improve their attack during important Wednesday and Friday home games vs. Orlando and San Antonio, respectively.

“Our margin for error is a little smaller when we don’t have Brandon and Jose,” third-year head coach Willie Green said after Tuesday’s practice.

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Willie Green talks loss to Suns, playing small 4/2/2024

In consecutive games last week vs. Milwaukee and Boston without either player, New Orleans shot under 40 percent from the field, the first time that’s happened in 2023-24. The Pelicans still managed to beat the Bucks by holding them to 100 points, but they’ve had at least one low-scoring half in the majority of their recent games. The next opponent, Orlando, boasts the NBA’s second-ranked defense (110.4 rating).

“Not having them at this point in the season is tough,” Green said of Ingram and Alvarado. “We need those guys back. However, our (available players) understand and know how I feel about them – we have more than enough to go after these (opponents), compete and give ourselves an opportunity to win. But we have to recognize the margin for error is smaller.”

“Nobody feels sorry for us,” reserve center Larry Nance Jr. said. “Neither do we. We’re just going to keep plugging away.”

New Orleans has gone 7-5 in the dozen games Ingram has missed this season, but just 2-3 over this recent span vs. teams over .500. The Pelicans are 34-17 when Alvarado plays this season (compared to 11-13 when he doesn’t). The point guard’s impact on the squad has been even more drastic since the All-Star break, at 10-4 with Alvarado but 2-4 without him. In addition to not having Ingram’s contributions, his exit meant moving top bench scorer Trey Murphy out of a very successful reserve lineup. Nance indicated that the group will need to collectively find sources of offense.

“You took away our offensive hub as a bench,” Nance said of Alvarado being sidelined. “(Offensive production has) to come from a concerted effort from everybody. It’s going to be (a) different (top point scorer) every game – there’s not a natural (scorer like) Trey Murphy on the bench anymore.”

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Larry Nance Jr. talks playing without Brandon Ingram, bench scoring 4/2/2024

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Pelicans practice report: New Orleans seeks improved offense without two key pieces

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Phoenix Suns game breakdown with team reporter Erin Summers for their game on Monday, April 1, 2024 at 7 p.m. CT on the Pelicans Pregame Report presented by Ibotta.

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New Orleans Pelicans vs. Phoenix Suns Pregame Report 4/1/2024

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