We had to wait until the very end of the match to draw a winner, the kind of meeting sponsored by FC Suspense but also by BC basketball. Because, yes, we had fun watching this game of kids.
The house stats of a very nice match
No Brandon Ingram or CJ McCollum on the Pelicans side, but a place on the Western podium to keep, to assume. A very playful Thunder team in front, in particular its leader Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Top 10 MVP this season and even Top 4 if he played elsewhere than in the outback.
The game ? Not the kind of those who will go down in history eh, even if we like Poku the arm of Beaucousevski, even if we liked seeing Ousmane Dieng again shooting, even if we are still intrigued by the funny profile of Jeremiah Robinson -Earl. Not the match of the century no, even if on the Pels side it’s always a delirium to see Zion Williamson doing the spinning top, even if Trey Murphy’s arm isn’t bad either, even if that little cockroach of Jose Alvarado makes us having feelings, even if the Dyson Daniels kid is as raw as he is full of potential.
Yes but then, why are we talking about this match?
For two things dear friends.
The first one ? This money time that we wanted to share with you, because let’s easily admit that we watched the end of the match standing, full of emotions. Four shots from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who put the Thunder back in front, a first since the first quarter, 98-97 OKC. Then Trey Murphy, the famous arm, gives two pawns ahead to the Pels but Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, the famous funny profile, responds to him in stride. 101-100 OKC then 103-101 NOLA, because when Zion spins, Luguentz Dort lengthens in vain.
Then comes the last action of this match, the most significant and, inevitably, the most important.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains on a delicious 16/18 in shots, a career high in the number of penalties scored but, let’s look further, it’s one of the only ways in which SGA managed to score tonight. Careful, huh, we’re talking about a guy who had one of his most difficult evenings of the season but who ended this said evening with… 31 points, that gives you the guy’s level. 7/21 in shooting including 1/6 from the parking lot, 7 balls lost, difficult evening indeed and this is to the credit of a certain… Herb Jones.
Candidate in the race for the DPOY, just like this crazy OG Anunoby, Herb Jones will have spent his evening in the shorts of SGA, embarrassing the Canadian crack as rarely he has been embarrassed this season, and the last action of this match sums up quite well the taf carried out this night by the young Herbert. Drive from SGA a few seconds from the buzzer, Herb stands on his feet and lets himself be beaten by the attacker. Herb is not Valladolid and it is not Luguentz Dort, offensive fault of SGA.
On the throw-in? Herb kicks the ball behind this woodcock Poku and goes to validate the win on the linevictory of the Pels, who’s the boss.
Magnificent Herb Jones who causes the passage in force on the match point for OKC in 1v1 against SGA.
Then the “Pippen” on the throw-in behind Poku’s back to nail the match
????️@pelicans pic.twitter.com/jHPeyYUCaz
— French Pelican #Zion (@french_pelican) November 29, 2022
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled like never before, Zion Williamson had a blast in the absence of his two fellow offensive leaders, the Thunder fell into line and the Pels were on the podium in the West. Thank you Herb Jones for the work, everyone is in their place on this Tuesday morning.