Before tip-off Alvin Gentry said Norris Cole, not Jrue Holiday, would replace Eric Gordon in the starting lineup. Cole has been an abject disaster so far this season after returning from a high ankle sprain for the New Orleans Pelicans; his 7.5 PER is the worst mark among current rotation players. How would the Pelicans respond to losing their highest paid player?
Exceptionally well. This team was completely unrecognizable in the first half. The ball was moving around, shots were falling, and Norris Cole was having himself a game.