New Orleans Pelicans (22-45) beat Toronto Raptors (36-29) 122-111 at home on Wednesday, March 11.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Raptors struck first, taking the opening quarter 30-29 and a 1-point lead after one. The Pelicans moved in front with a 31-28 second quarter, carrying a 2-point lead into halftime.
The Pelicans won the third 33-25 to create some separation, taking a 10-point lead into the fourth. The Pelicans took the fourth 29-28; the Pelicans finished the job for a 122-111 regulation win.
What decided it
The Pelicans got more from their shots, finishing at 59.1% effective field-goal shooting compared with 48.9% for the Raptors. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Raptors did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 10.8 against 14.5. The Pelicans made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 103 possessions per team, the Pelicans produced 118.7 points per 100 possessions to 108 for the Raptors.
Who made the difference
Trey Murphy III was the game's biggest individual force for NOP: 28 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl on 8-12 shooting. His Game Score of 25.8 led everyone. His team was +18 with him on the floor.
Immanuel Quickley led the Raptors with 25 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast on 8-14 shooting, good for a 22.9 Game Score.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 49% for the Pelicans.
Across the last 2 meetings in our records, Toronto Raptors lead 2-0.
The Pelicans are now 22-45, and the Raptors are 36-29. The Pelicans last five before this game: L-L-W-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.