That was a schedule loss but I love the way Okoro and Wade's three-point shooting is dramatically improving and Allen's offensive game is coming along. Allen was 7-for-8 from the field including a 17-foot jumper and a variety of shots off post moves.
Okoro is shooing 39% on 3's this month and is starting to make them from the angles, not just the corner. Wade has hit an amazing 17 of his last 27 threes. Combine that with his defense and he is turning into a very good player on both ends. Wade had 20 points and 9 rebounds in 26 minutes and did a nice job on Ingram, forcing him to pick the ball up and pass it several times when he wanted to shoot. Dean also had two blocked shots.
The growth of Wade, Okoro, and Allen offensively with Mobley and Garland out has been really encouraging. Not to mention Porter getting a lot of valuable playing time. This team is going to be better in February than they were in December due to the injuries to Garland and Mobley.
The Pelicans are very good; Brad Daugherty said he was "shocked" at their length. Trey Murphy III was outstanding with 28 points in only 16 shots, going 6-for-10 on 3's. Their bench was excellent with three players between +16 and +20. Having Merrill out with a shooting wrist injury didn't help our bench, but the Pelis are near the top at preventing 3's so this team was not a good matchup for Sam.
We might beat Houston without Mitchell, Garland, and Mobley, but not the Pelicans with only Williamson out among their key players.
