The New Orleans Pelicans snapped their three-game losing streak Tuesday with a 112-104 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Kevin Durant's first game of the season.
The three-game skid for the Pelicans coincided with losing starting two guard Eric Gordon indefinitely due to a torn left labrum.
Gordon hasn't exactly been lighting it up this season (9.5 ppg), but his presence has been sorely missed because the guys getting additional minutes with him sidelined have been awful for the most part.
Darius Miller got the start in the first game following Gordon's injury, and was 0-for-3 from the floor and went scoreless in 14 minutes. That performance earned him a seat on the bench for the next two games, and then the Pelicans waived him on November 30.
Austin Rivers replaced Miller in the starting lineup, but that promotion lasted all of two games because of how poorly he played. In his first start, the third-year guard was 0-for-8 in 21 minutes and failed to get into the scoring column. The following game wasn't much better as Rivers was 1-of-5 from the field and scored four points in 29 minutes.
Luke Babbitt moved into the starting lineup last night with Tyreke Evans sliding over to shooting guard, and produced six points in 15 minutes. But don't expect too much from Babbitt, who is a very limited offensive player and a liability on defense.
Jimmer Fredette has also been of no help in the limited minutes he's received since Gordon has been sidelined, going 1-for-7 from the field and scoring three points in 31 minutes.
John Salmons has also seen additional playing time with some mixed results, but can't be counted on for consistent production at this stage of his career. The Pelicans put up just 89, 91, and 80 points respectively in the first three games following Gordon's injury, but finally broke out offensively Tuesday night against the Thunder only because they got excellent production from their core players with Tyreke Evans scoring a season-high 30 points, while Anthony Davis had 25, Ryan Anderson 23 and Jrue Holiday 16.
The Pelicans are reportedly considering signing free agent forward Dante Cunningham, but he's not a good offensive player and wouldn't give the Pelicans a player like Gordon who can create his own shot.
I think New Orleans should sign point guard Sebastian Telfair, who was recently released by the Thunder and is rumored to be close to returning for a second stint in China.
If the Pelicans fail to add a player who can provide some scoring punch, I think they'll continue to have their share of games where they struggle offensively, and it'll also put a lot of pressure on their main guys to carry too much of the load.
One team which certainly doesn't have to worry about where their points will come from is the Golden State Warriors.
Steve Kerr's team is third in the league in points per game at 106.5 and boasts the highest scoring backcourt tandem with Stephen Curry (23.7 ppg) and Klay Thompson (20.9 ppg).
But you'd probably be shocked to find out that it's another Warriors' player that leads the NBA in scoring per 48 minutes.
That distinction belongs to Marreese Speights, who is having a career year. The six-year veteran is averaging 12.4 points and 4.9 rebounds in just 15.8 minutes per game, and is shooting 56.6 percent from the field.
Speights' performance has even been a huge surprise to his coach.
"I figured he was a guy who could give us a spark off the bench every now and again, but I didn't see him as our full-time backup center. ... but Mo has been way better than I expected," Kerr said.
Speights actually got very little playing time at the start of the season, averaging just over eight minutes per game in his first five games, which Kerr explained by saying "because I'm an idiot."
The backup big man has had several huge games, including one in which he almost single handedly won in the fourth quarter. Speights scored the Warriors' first 16 points of the final quarter last Friday as Golden State rallied to win in Charlotte.
"We were struggling to find a rhythm and he came in and dominated, took over the game," Curry said. "He basically won us the game. Without him tonight our team doesn't even come close."
"He saved us again," added Kerr. "It's like the fourth time he's saved us. He's just having a terrific season."
Speights knocked down 8-of-9 shots in that fourth quarter and finished with 27 points in just 24 minutes. It marked the third time this season he topped the 20-point mark, and on all three occasions, Speights' point total was greater than the minutes he played. He had 28 points in 25 minutes in a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he scored 24 points in 20 minutes in the Warriors' rout of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Speights has even drew praise from the guy he backs up.
"Mo has been huge for us," said starting center Andrew Bogut. "He's one of the most talented guys in this locker room. He's very, very talented."
Said Speights: "I think it shows we got a deep team."
[SportsNetwork.com]
