By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The New Orleans Pelicans’ grit and tenacity overpowered the Phoenix Suns and tied the series at 2-2 after a huge Game 4 victory, 118-103, while the Denver Nuggets refused to go home and forced another elimination game, 126-121, against the Golden State Warriors.
New Orleans played their best game of the series so far and broke down the fluid Phoenix offense with their own version of ‘perimeter lock-up.’
Herb Jones was the unsung hero for the Pelicans as the young and solid defender put up two steals and three blocks and became Phoenix’s worst nightmare on the perimeter.
The long reach of the rookie bothered enough shots and spearheaded New Orleans’ defense in the fourth quarter to prevent the Suns from making a comeback.
Jonas Valanciunas finally rediscovered his stroke and scored 26 points, 15 rebounds, and four assists while gunner Brandon Ingram had 30 points on 11/23 shooting from the field.
Phoenix got hold of the first half as the pick-and-roll game of Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton posed problems for the Pelicans defense.
However, soon as Valanciunas stepped up, the entire atmosphere changed for the whole New Orleans squad and continued to torch Phoenix until the last second.
From a monster Game 3 performance, Paul was only limited to four points on 2/8 shooting from the field and became New Orleans’ center of attention defensively.
Meanwhile, in the other Western conference game, the Denver Nuggets refused to go home after a solid performance against the Golden State Warriors.
Nikola Jokic continued being dominant in the paint and scored 37 huge points, eight rebounds, and six assists.
Denver survived a lethal offensive snowball from the Warriors after their double-digit lead disappeared courtesy of the hot hands of Stephen Curry.
Golden State eventually got the lead after a Curry step-back jumper, 121-119, with 1:22 remaining in the final canto.
However, a Jokic deuce underneath deadlocked the ball game at 121-all before Monte Morris and Will Barton provided Denver’s last five points and helped seal the win for them.
Morris backstopped Jokic with 24 points and five assists while Aaron Gordon contributed 21 points, six rebounds, and four dimes.
In the other playoff games, the Milwaukee Bucks moved one win away from a semifinals berth after dispatching the Chicago Bulls, 119-95, while the Miami Heat are in the same situation like the Bucks after a 110-86 Game 4 win against the Atlanta Hawks.
