The New Orleans Pelicans weren't up to the challenge in Game 5 against the top-seeded Phoenix Suns, suffering a 112-97 loss to go down 3-2 in the series with things shifting back to NOLA for Game 6. The Suns jumped out to a 12-point lead after one quarter and controlled the game the rest of the way.

 

The Pelicans were nowhere close to their best on Tuesday after their tremendous showing in Game 4. There are some key things that must change for Game 6 in order to extend this series to a Game 7, so here's a look at a few adjustments needed for the Pelicans.

*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*

Pelicans adjustments to force Game 7 vs. Suns

Shake free from Mikal Bridges and make some dang shots!

Simply saying make more shots is super obvious, but it truly was a rough night for the Pelicans' star duo of Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum in Game 5. While Ingram finished with 22/5/5, he shot 7-of-19 from the field and 1-of-5 from 3-point range. McCollum's shooting numbers were even worse, as he scored 21 points on 7-of-22 shooting and 1-of-8 from 3. As a team, New Orleans shot 40.0% and a wretched 5-of-25 from 3-point range.

Some of that is just bad luck with variance in a tough road environment, though McCollum's shooting has been a bit spotty in general this series (38.5%). The Suns' defense, led by Mikal Bridges, does deserve credit here as well, and the Pelicans need to find ways to get these guys free from Bridges and company. Bridges was a dominant force in Game 5 on both ends:

Bridges played a whopping 47 minutes on Tuesday, showing just how desperate Monty Williams was to win that game. It will be more difficult to evade Bridges when he's always on the court, but the Pelicans are going to have to find a way to do it and get their stars in the best position to succeed.

Less Devonte' Graham and Jaxson Hayes

Devonte' Graham only played 12 minutes in Game 5, but you could argue that was 12 minutes too many. Graham was terrible in his short time on the court, scoring two points while missing all three of his field goal attempts. He also committed two turnovers and was a minus-7.

Graham is a decent 3-point shooter with playmaking ability, but he hasn't done much in this series and is a liability on defense. He doesn't necessarily have to be glued to the bench because he has value when he's shooting well (that didn't happen much in the second half of the season), but Willie Green should be willing to have a really quick hook if Graham doesn't have it going. Those minutes could easily be transferred to Jose Alvarado or rookie Trey Murphy. Alvarado has been a huge spark off the bench, and while Green doesn't want to overplay him, it's do-or-die time.

As for Murphy, he has been quiet since a strong start to the series, but he's a good shooter who brings more size to the table. His presence has also helped the offense in general:

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Bradley Beal and Diana Taurasi.

Nick Meyer ·

Suns Vs. Timberwolves Game 1 Results Simulated With NBA 2K24

Massimo Marchiano ·

Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen with the Suns arena in the background, Royce O’Neale Timberwolves NBA Playoffs

David Yapkowitz ·

Then there's Jaxson Hayes, who starts next to Jonas Valanciunas but doesn't actually play all that much. Green is typically good about going away from those big lineups if they aren't working, but there's an argument to be made that he shouldn't be using them at all, even if the Suns go big:

Hayes has had his moments in this series, but he's not much of a threat on offense (he hasn't helped on defense either) and Larry Nance Jr. is simply better. Less Hayes could also mean more minutes for Murphy to help with spacing:

It's now or never for these upstart Pelicans, and Green is going to have to be on top of his game and push the right buttons in order to force a Game 7. This feisty New Orleans team will have a loud crowd behind them, so we'll see how they respond with their back against the wall.