A Thursday matchup vs. Portland meant facing a Trail Blazers team full of young players driven to prove themselves in the NBA. Then again, the same description could also apply to New Orleans.
Led partly by two undrafted players (rookie Jose Alvarado, second-year pro Naji Marshall), the Pelicans’ bench attacked Portland immediately, using an aggressive, disruptive defense to build a large first-half lead. New Orleans reserves totaled 64 points in the 127-94 victory, with three other second-unit players – Willy Hernangomez, Larry Nance Jr. and Trey Murphy III – depositing double-digit points.
Since Nance debuted with the Pelicans in a March 24 victory over Chicago, the team’s backups have regularly provided a spark at both ends of the floor, ranking seventh in the NBA in plus-minus (3.