The Pelicans didn't have any answers at center for Chet Holmgren, Thunder in Game 2 (2024)

Jonas Valanciunas powered a right-handed layup in at the 9:19 mark in the first quarter of Game 2 on Wednesday. The shot gave the New Orleans Pelicans an 11-7 lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Valanciunas scored his team’s first 11 points. Almost nothing went right for the Pelicans after that. The Thunder outscored the Pelicans 117-81 the rest of the way.

The Pelicans committed a staggering eight offensive fouls, and their sixth-ranked defense got shredded. They were crushed by a team that’s average age is 23.9 years old.

“Sucks losing,” said Valanciunas after his team’s 124-92 defeat, which caused New Orleans to fall behind 0-2 in the first-round series. “Sucks losing like that. We didn’t execute. All of us. There is no pointing fingers. That’s it.”

In Game 1, the Pelicans grabbed 18 offensive rebounds. Valanciunas finished with 13 points and 20 rebounds. His interior impact was one of the reasons the game was close.

It helped, too, that the Thunder shot poorly from 3, going 10 of 32.

In Game 2, the Pelicans did not get so lucky. The Thunder splashed seven 3-pointers in the first quarter. Center Chet Holmgren made three of them. The 7-foot-1 Holmgren’s floor-stretching ability presented all sorts of problems for the Pelicans. When Valanciunas dropped into the paint to defend the pick-and-roll, Holmgren found open space and knocked down jump shots.

When Valanciunas played up the floor in pick-and-roll coverage, Holmgren rolled to the rim and scored easy baskets.

Holmgren tallied 26 points on 13 shots. The Thunder scored 143.9 points per 100 possessions in his 29 minutes on the floor. To put that into perspective, the Boston Celtics led the NBA in offensive rating during the regular season. They scored at a rate of 122.2 points per 100 possessions.

“We will go back and have to adjust,” Brandon Ingram said. “We have to help Big Fella (Valanciunas) out in screen and roll. We have to rotate a little bit better. Just protect J.V.”

During the regular season, Pelicans coach Willie Green alternated between the offensive-oriented Valanciunas and the more mobile Larry Nance Jr. at the center spots. Neither were great options in Game 2. Valanciunas scored 19 points in 23 minutes, but the Pelicans always seemed to be a step slow defensively when he was on the floor. They allowed an eye-popping 150.0 points per 100 possessions in his minutes. With Nance, they were better defensively — allowing 110.7 points per 100 possessions — but their offense took a nosedive.

“We didn’t match their physicality on defense,” Valanciunas said. “We have to watch the film now. We have to make some adjustments. Have to be better on Saturday. Simple as that. There is no way out. We just have to be better.”

There are myriad problems to correct. More than anything, the Pelicans need their two best scorers to step up. Through two playoff games, CJ McCollum is averaging 17.5 points on 41.7% shooting, and Ingram is averaging 15.0 points on 37.0% shooting.

Ingram had two shot attempts at halftime of Wednesday’s game. The Pelicans have gotten outscored by 29 points in the 70 minutes he has played in the series.

“Be more aggressive,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “We are going to lean into him. Continue to go out and find your rhythm. Collectively as a team — including myself — not our best game.”

The Pelicans made Game 1 competitive with their defense. In Game 2, their defensive execution and effort wavered after the Thunder made shots early.

Ingram’s message after the beatdown was to stick together. To even the series, the Pelicans will need to win two games at Smoothie King Center, where they went 21-19 during the regular season.

“We’ve got to be together a little bit more,” Ingram said. “If you look at OKC, you can see how together they are. We can’t splinter. We’ve got to go back, look at the film, and we’ve got to talk amongst players about what’s our best defense (and) what’s our best offense. We’ve got to go out there and do it.”