They say that some losses are tougher than others. Well, Monday’s 120-111 defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers must have felt like a gut punch for the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Pelicans were battling themselves for much of the first half and had no answers for the unstoppable force that is Joel Embiid, but yet after trailing by as many as 15 points, a Naji Marshall 3-pointer gave them a slim 81-80 lead with 1:25 left in the third quarter. Not a minute later, Zion Williamson had to leave the game after coming up hobbled on a transition opportunity.