Pelicans take down the Warriors 108-103: The good, the bad, and the Lonzo

The fourth quarter, and frankly much of the night in New Orleans, belonged to none other than Lonzo Ball on Tuesday night. In a game that the New Orleans Pelicans needed in the absolute worst way, the UCLA product took over to lead the way with a career-high 33 points and a number of monumental buckets down the stretch.

When the dust settled, New Orleans picked up a 108-103 win over Golden State in their second matchup against the Warriors in as many days. The Pelicans kept their play-in hopes alive for the moment, as they now sit two games behind the San Antonio Spurs for the final spot in the tournament.

Let’s get into the good, the bad, and the Lonzo from Tuesday night:

The Good: New Orleans looking like a team with their season on the line

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Since we have a whole section dedicated to the star of the night, let's give credit to the Pelicans as a team. Down four points entering the fourth, New Orleans finally played like a team fighting for their lives. Second chance points, scrappy defense, and some magic from Ball were all part of the winning formula. The Pelicans comeback also came without Brandon Ingram and Steven Adams on the floor, as Jaxson Hayes stepped up on the interior and Ball did the bulk of the scoring. While Stephen Curry finished with 37 points, it was in inefficient 37 for the best shooter in the world. He finished just 13-31 as the Pelicans did a much better job on the perimeter defensively.

The Bad: The Pelicans really needed both games

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While Tuesday night was a must-win game, the Pelicans really needed to take both from Golden State. Monday night's loss, even with tonight's win, still makes the road to the play-in extremely difficult. On the bright side, San Antonio has lost four in a row and is slumping at the right time for New Orleans.

The Lonzo: He said he would deliver, and deliver he did

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It was Lonzo Ball's redemption night in New Orleans. After struggling in every way on Monday night, Ball put the loss behind him and scored 33 points (ties career-high) including a number of clutch buckets. A difficult long two from the Pelicans guard gave New Orleans the lead with under 30 seconds left, and they would never give that lead up. https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1389747406300844036 Ball was on fire from distance, going 7-13 from three and talking trash to one of the NBA's most notorious talkers in the process: https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1389747406300844036

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