Clutch defense was the biggest key for the New Orleans Pelicans during Game 1 of their first-round series with the Portland Trail Blazers.
A huge block by Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday on a layup attempt by the Blazers' Pat Connaughton in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter put the game on ice as the Pelicans held on for a 97-95 road win at Moda Center.
Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry had a lot of praise for Holiday's impressive game, calling him the best two-way player in the game who is not named Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs.
“With Kawhi Leonard not playing, I’m not sure there’s a better two-way player in the game,” coach Gentry said of Holiday's performance.
Holiday, who was second in scoring for the Pelicans only to superstar power forward Anthony Davis, finished with 21 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the field, seven rebounds, two assists, and two blocked shots in 39 minutes of action.
“We ask him to try to get 20 points for us every night and we also ask him to guard the best perimeter on the other team, regardless of the size or who it is,” Gentry said.
A video clip of Gentry's postgame press conference, which was uploaded to Twitter by the official Pelicans account, can be viewed below.
Gentry on @Jrue_Holiday11’s clutch defense #DoItBigger https://t.co/FjhZllpZFT
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) April 15, 2018
New Orleans, who won its first playoff game since 2011 and its first as the Pelicans, will have a couple of days off before they take on the Blazers Tuesday night in a pivotal Game 2 showdown.
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