Valanciunas, Alvarado Impress in Victory Over Knicks

After two straight double digit losses on the road, the Pelicans came into Madison Square Garden looking to halt their recent skid and they certainly achieved their goal.

The Pelicans defeated the Knicks 102-91 on Tuesday night, led primarily by the efforts of Jonas Valanciunas and rookie point guard Jose Alvarado. Valanciunas continued his dominance in the paint putting up 18 points, 10 rebounds along with a pair of blocks. Alvarado once again saw an increase in minutes in Tuesday’s game finishing with 13 points, 4 assists and 4 steals. Alvarado’s emergence as a possible replacement for Kira Lewis over the rest of the season is certainly a positive for the Pels moving forward. 

On another more concerning note, Brandon Ingram missed the fourth quarter with an ankle sprain. Most ankle sprains take anywhere from six to eight weeks to heal, meaning players like Josh Hart and Herb Jones absolutely need to continue to step up and develop more consistency in their shooting.

Although the night ended with the bad news of Ingram’s injury, the Pelicans effort in MSG on Tuesday night absolutely had its fair share of positives, namely the rookies really beginning to find their way and the defense improving vastly after two poor performances.