The New Orleans Pelicans defended the home court on Sunday night, pulling away from the Phoenix Suns to a 118-103 victory in Game 4 of their first-round series. Now all tied at 2-2, the series will return to Phoenix for Main Game 5 on Tuesday night.
Just like all the series, Brandon Ingram led the way for the Pelicans, finishing with 30 points, four rebounds and five assists. He was particularly influential in a game-changing third quarter, scoring 18 points when the Pelicans turned a half-time deficit into a double-digit lead. Pels never fell behind again and retreated in the middle of the fourth quarter with an energetic series led by the defense of rookies Herb Jones and Jose Alvarado. They also won a big night by Jonas Valanchunas, who scored 26 points, 15 rebounds and four assists.
Deandre Ayton scored 23 points for the Suns, while Javel McGee added 14 from the bench with a perfect 7-point shot. Devin Booker is still on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
Here are some key findings from the game:
Ingram leads the way
Brandon Ingram has never played in playoffs before this season, a fact he did without following the team’s victory over the Los Angeles Clippers to win number 8.
“Man, it feels great,” Ingram said at the time. “Just to have a chance to be in the postseason this year. I’ve never had a winning record, I’ve never been in the postseason. Having a chance to show my talent on the biggest stage is beautiful.”
He takes this chance and then a little. On Sunday night, he made another strong performance, finishing with 30 points, four rebounds and five assists for his third consecutive game with 30 points in this series. He is the first player in the history of the Pelicans franchise to achieve this feat.
After the Pelicans cooled down and took the lead at the end of the first half, Ingram set the tone after the break. He either scored or assisted on five consecutive baskets at the start of the third quarter, bringing the Pelicans back and forth forever. He later threw a huge dunk, which was the highlight of the 18-point frame.
It was a bit of a disappointing regular season for Ingram, as injuries limited him to just 55 games. Now that he is completely healthy, he shows why he is a potential perennial All Star. If he continues to play at this level, the Pelicans have a real chance to steal this series.
Jones and Alvarado set up a defense clinic
Pelicans rookies Herb Jones (second round pick) and Jose Alvarado (undefeated) were not well-known names in the playoffs, but the duo won much acclaim in the first four games. Game 4 on Sunday night was the crowning achievement so far as they harassed the Suns all night and led a key attack in the fourth quarter to help the Pels pull away.
Within minutes, Jones blocked a 3-pointer from Michal Bridges – an amazing display of athleticism and time – Alvarado forced an 8-second call to Chris Paul and Jones stole a pass in the back before stepping in for one in a foul by Paul . A seven-point lead became a 14-point lead and it was a ball game.
At the end of the fourth, Alvarado bowed to things, finally receiving one of his characteristic vile thefts from Paul. The veteran in particular waved to Alvarado when he tried to pull earlier in the series, but he dropped his guard at the end of the match. Alvarado threw the ball and appropriately found his way to Jones to pass.
No magic from the fourth quarter of Paul
Twice in this series, we saw Chris Paul take over in the fourth quarter, leading the Suns to victories in Games 1 and 3 with clinical performance down. In particular, his poise and shooting in Game 3 were something in the Hall of Fame, as he scored 19 points and either scored or assisted on nine of Suns’ 11 baskets in the frame.
There was no such magic on Sunday. In fact, Paul had one of the worst performances of the season in his career, finishing with just four points in 2 of 8 on the pitch and 11 assists. His four points, 25 percent goal per game, zero 3 points and zero free throws were either the worst or tied for the worst of his career in the playoffs. There were also some unusual omissions down the stretch, as he was called in eight seconds and stripped by Alvarado of his trademark vile theft.
Since Devin Booker is still on the verge of a hamstring injury, the Suns just can’t afford that type of night from Paul. He doesn’t have to start trying to give 25-30 a game, but he’s one of the few players he has who can constantly create his own punch and they need him to take on even more of the weight of offensive if they want to beat this annoying team of Pelicans.
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