The New York Knicks were very shorthanded when they faced the New Orleans Pelicans. All they had was Donte DiVincenzo. Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson, and Isaiah Hartenstein were big absences from the squad which meant that the Zion Williamson-led squad had to take advantage. They did exactly just that and left the Knicks struggling. Larry Nance Jr. had time to make fun of their opponents with a meme that had Trey Murphy III.
Knocking down nine out of 14 field goal attempts for 26 points will surely get someone’s attention. This is exactly what Trey Murphy III did as he torched the Knicks’ defense and buried them throughout the game. If the love from Pelicans fans was not enough, Larry Nance Jr. also added more gas to the flame but posting his teammate as the Statue of Liberty.
This had everyone cracking up after the Pelicans dismantled their opponents with a 115 to 92 scoreline. Murphy was doing a lot of work in this game. Aside from the buckets, he also posted four assists and grabbed seven rebounds to round out his night. This mixed with the production of Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram which combined for 45 points made it a breeze for the Pelicans to get their 35th win of the season.
The Pelicans are now just two wins away from usurping the Los Angeles Clippers as the fourth-best team in the Western Conference standings. Will they be able to do it?
Pelicans unlock keys to success
The balance in the Pelicans’ attack was what spelled the difference in their domination of the Knicks. They knocked down 52.9% of their shots from three-point range while also getting 34 points in the paint. All of this made it hard for the opponents to rotate and expect the same plays and options being run. It confused the Knicks’ defense which led to the big win.
The Pelicans defense was also impeccable in this matchup. Donte DiVincenzo only scored 23 points as he notched a measly eight out of his 21 field goal attempts. Precious Achiuwa and Josh Hart also both needed 40 minutes just to score 15 points which is a testament to how the Pelicans suffocated their opponents. Finally, the Knicks were forced to only have a 37.3% field goal shooting percentage and a poor 30.4% shooting clip from three-point range.
All of these are the markings of an up-and-coming team that could make a deep playoff push.
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