The New Orleans Pelicans narrowly failed to get the job done against the Memphis Grizzlies at home on Sunday night, falling 107-104. Despite not coming out on top, head coach Willie Green was pleased with the effort put in by guard Jose Alvarado.
“He’s a warrior, steps up in big moments,” Green said. “We needed his play tonight. He was a little banged up but gave it a go and you guys saw his production tonight. 11 points, 11 assists, he really did a good job of running the offense tonight.”
Alvarado spent 32 minutes on the floor, ending up with 11 points, 11 assists, one steal and two blocks. He shot 3-of-14 from the field, all three of his made shots coming from 3-point range, and he went 2-of-2 at the free-throw line.
Alvarado was vocal during timeouts and shared his thoughts on what the Pelicans could do to give themselves the best shot at winning the game. Green was a fan of this and wants to see more of it from other members of the team.
“That’s what I want,” Green said. “I want our guys communicating, talking. They may see something on the floor, they’re out there playing. I’m always open to making adjustments to what they see and encouraging them and empowering them, ‘this is you guys’ team, let’s communicate and go out and execute on both ends.”
Green also appreciated the fight the Pelicans made to get back in the game and pull off the upset against one of the Western Conference’s best teams.
“I loved it,” Green said. “I loved our resiliency and our ability to stick together. That’s what I said to the guys after coming off a tough loss to Houston. Traveling back-to-back against another really good Western Conference team. I loved our approach to the game tonight. Still some things we’ve got to clean up, but overall, no argument with our effort and our ability to step on the floor and compete at a high level.”
The Pelicans return to action on Tuesday night when they host the Clippers. Newly acquired Pelican Mo Bamba will likely make his debut against his former team.
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