The New Orleans Pelicans have posted back-to-back wins, largely due to Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum, each of whom scored more than 20 points in both games.
The Pelicans will try to ride those three again when they host the Brooklyn Nets, who have lost their past three games, on Tuesday night.
Williamson and Ingram scored 26 points apiece and McCollum had 22 in a 129-109 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night. Three nights earlier, Ingram scored 26 points, McCollum had 22 and Williamson 21 in a 112-105 home victory against the Utah Jazz.
But the big three are doing more than just scoring.
New Orleans had three other double-figure scorers against the Lakers — Jonas Valanciunas (13 points), Herbert Jones (13) and Larry Nance Jr. (11) — as McCollum (nine assists), Ingram (eight) and Williamson (six) set up their teammates when they weren’t scoring themselves.
“Not only are they scoring, but they’re sharing the ball with each other and their teammates,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “That’s the trust factor we have to have.”
Ingram has had two or more blocks in each of the past four games, the longest such streak in his career.
“We want to be a better defensive team, especially in clutch situations, which we all talked about, and it starts with our leaders,” Green said. “(Ingram), (Williamson), (McCollum), taking ownership and getting stops, making sure we understand who our matchups are. I thought (Ingram) was really good on both sides of the ball (Sunday).”
The defense got a lift off the bench from Jose Alvarado, who had four steals in addition to eight points, three rebounds, two blocks and one assist.
“I just want to impact the game, no matter what it is,” Alvarado said. “The best thing about my game is I feel like I can impact (the game) without scoring.”
Meanwhile, the Nets have rarely been able to slow opponents down recently. Their 124-108 loss at Oklahoma City on Sunday night was their eighth setback in 10 games, with the only victories in that stretch coming against Detroit during the Pistons’ recent 28-game losing streak.
Brooklyn has allowed an average of 124.3 points in the eight losses. Guard Cam Thomas said a lack of trust has “a lot” to do with the defense’s problems.
“Everybody feels like if nobody has your back on a rotation then we’re not going to help as much,” Thomas said. “That’s with anybody. So obviously that’s a part of it.”
Nets coach Jacque Vaughn stressed the importance of the team pulling together.
“We need each other,” he said. “I’m not a Hall of Fame coach, and we have no All-Stars on our team. And so this is a collective group that has to play together on every single night, and we’ll continue to grasp that ideal.”
The Nets allowed 54.2 percent (45 of 83) shooting from the floor and trailed by as many as 21 points against the Thunder.
–Field Level Media