Oleh Kosel
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But, hey, the Anthony Davis trade was made official!!!
With Zion Williamson ruled out for the rest of the 2019 Summer League, Jaxson Hayes and Nickeil Alexander-Walker unavailable as the Anthony Davis trade still awaiting completion, Frank Jackson and Kenrich Williams held out, and Christian Wood and his agent mired in some mystery discussions with management, the New Orleans Pelicans were left without a lot of reliable contributors.
The New Orleans Pelicans starting lineup consisted of London Perrantes, Tony Carr, Trevon Bluiett, Zylan Cheatham and Kavell Bigby-Williams, and the first quarter went about as well as one might expect — 17 points on 33% shooting from the floor and 20% from behind the three-point line. Outside of a couple of Bluiett threes and a few Bigby-Williams scores down low, the offense was completely out of sync.
In the second quarter, more spotty play ensued. Bigby-Williams was the only member of the Pelicans to crack double figures before the halftime buzzer sounded and the score stood at 39-37 in favor of the Washington Wizards. However, some happy news broke right before intermission — the Anthony Davis trade was finally made official!
This should mean that Hayes, Alexander-Walker and Silva will be available for Monday’s game. At least we know the entire trio is all accounted for as they sat within close eyesight of the Pelicans coaching staff.
As for the game, the second half was heading for scarier proportions than the first. The Pelicans managed to score 15 points in the third quarter and trailed the Wizards by 13 points. But lo and behold New Orleans offense finally came to life in the final frame.
Trevon Bluiett scored 12 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter and New Orleans found themselves trailing by just a single point at 79-78 with 45 seconds remaining. However, Troy Brown put the game away with an And-1 to hand the Pelicans their first loss in Las Vegas and even their record at 1-1.
After playing in back-to-back games, the Pelicans are expected to have tomorrow off before returning to action on Monday against the Chicago Bulls. Tip-off is set for 8:30 Central and the matchup will air on NBA TV.
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