New Orleans Pelicans show flashes, but can’t finish; 3 takeaways

3. Little things made a big difference in the game

The New Orleans Pelicans — statistically — played the Toronto Raptors nearly evenly Tuesday night, which isn’t a surprise considering the game went to overtime.

What was a surprise was how the Raptors were able to get so many more easy baskets than the Pelicans were able to muster despite having nearly the same number of opportunities.

New Orleans and Toronto each finished the night with 16 offensive rebounds, but while the Pelicans turned those into just nine points, the Raptors got 19 points off those second-chance opportunities.

Similarly, even though the turnover count was only 19-17, with the Pelicans committing the larger number, and the Raptors holding just a four-rebound edge on the defensive glass, Toronto had a dominant 20-13 edge on the fast-break.

As mentioned previously, we’re in prime season for small-sample size theater, but the Pelicans will have to finish possessions more effectively than just a 60 percent defensive rebounding rate.

What the Pelicans did do well was move the ball offensively. Of their 43 makes, 30 of them were assisted — a healthy 69.8 percent. New Orleans got its share of open looks … it was converting them that proved difficult at times.

The Pelicans shot just 42.2 percent overall (43-for-102), hitting an identical percentage from deep (19-for-45).

Still, it was a very solid effort for a team full of new pieces playing without their much-hyped rookie (and leading scorer in the preseason).

If they can clean up the ball handling and finish out the stops they get on the defensive end, the Pelicans will remain in the playoff chase longer than many expect them to.