Memphis Grizzlies: Race for the eighth update, Part 2
By Ethan Becker
No. 11: The New Orleans Pelicans, 3.5 Games Back
Previous Standing: 11
Current Record: 28-38
Most Recent Game: Loss vs. Clippers
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Anyways, the Pelicans suffered a loss against the LA Clippers, and while most analysts thought that was going to be the outcome of that game, nobody saw what was actually coming.
In the game against the Clippers, New Orleans turned the ball over five times in the first quarter alone, and that’s what allowed LA to jump out to such a strong lead. At one point, the Clippers were up by 42.
While New Orleans did actually end up with more points off turnovers than the Clippers did, that may be due to how a PoT is setup. If a Clippers player were to step out of bounds, and then the Pelicans happen to score next possession, that’s two PoT’s. The more important number is points off FORCED turnover (i.e. a bad pass or steal). The Clippers had 12, while the Pelicans had 6.
Though the Pelicans did get a nice little gift from the Spurs in the form of a win over the Grizzlies, New Orleans will likely have to beat the Grizzlies today in order to stay relevant in the playoff picture.