To open 2021, the Raptors were coming off a win and hoping to turn their young season around. However, for the third time in four contests, they let another one slip away, as the New Orleans Pelicans survived Toronto’s late rally to beat the Raps by a score of 120-116. The Pelicans drew excellent performances from Brandon Ingram (31 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) and Zion Williams (21 points, 7 rebounds) and welcome Eric Bledsoe’s two-way contributions which put them on top.
On the night, Bledsoe was instrumental in breaking down the Raptors’ zone defense in the second half, repeatedly getting into the paint and finding open teammates.