Jamahl Mosley Hasn't Fixed the Pelicans' Most Costly Issue

With 7:24 remaining in Denver, the Pelicans had given themselves another chance to escape.

Zion Williamson completed a three-point play off a Saddiq Bey assist. Jeremiah Fears then pushed it off a Denver miss and found Trey Murphy III for an open three. New Orleans' lead was back to 16, rebuilt through consecutive possessions featuring the aggression and passing that had made its offense so productive.

The Pelicans made one more field goal in regulation.

Saturday's 141-135 overtime loss left New Orleans 0-3 after carrying a lead into the fourth quarter of every game. The Pelicans squandered a 23-point advantage, the sixth-largest blown lead in franchise history, including the Hornets years.

The magnitude distinguished the loss. The mistakes connected it to the previous two.

New Orleans can play well enough to establish control. It has repeatedly failed to sustain the decisions, defensive effort, and execution required to keep it.

The lead concealed the warning signs

The Pelicans' first half showed what their offense can accomplish when players create opportunities for one another.

They attacked Denver's interior, advanced the ball before the defense could organize and found shooters. Murphy regained his rhythm. New Orleans recorded 22 assists on 29 buckets and scored 73 points.

But its defense was already giving ground.

After holding the Nuggets to 24 first-quarter points, the Pelicans allowed 33 in the second and 32 in the third. Their scoring preserved the cushion while their ability to get stops deteriorated.

The distinction mattered once the shots stopped falling.

New Orleans entered the fourth ahead 108-89. Denver won the quarter 37-18, then outscored the Pelicans 15-9 in overtime.

The second night of a road back-to-back, played without injured center Yves Missi, presented real challenges. Yet the late-game failures had appeared with Missi available against Indiana and on Friday in Utah.

His absence only complicated an existing problem.

A recovery that didn't hold

Jamahl Mosley called timeout and made some substitutions as Denver pulled closer. Murphy returned with 7:59 remaining and New Orleans ahead by 10. The Williamson-Murphy burst followed.

The intervention produced a response. The Pelicans couldn't sustain it.

After Murphy's three made it 118-102, New Orleans went ice cold from the floor. Free throws kept the Pelicans ahead while Denver steadily stripped away their margin for error.

Then came mistakes that made the finish even harder.

Consecutive late turnovers gave Denver opportunities without forcing the Nuggets to defend. A foul on Jamal Murray's three-point attempt with 16.8 seconds remaining supplied the tying free throws. On their final offensive possession, the Pelicans couldn't even get a shot off.

Overtime only extended the struggle. New Orleans made one basket and gave up crucial second-chance opportunities. Nikola Jokic converted a putback. Trevon Brazile recovered his own missed free throw and scored.

The Pelicans repeatedly needed one good possession or one successful stop. More often than not, they got neither.

The problem is bigger than shooting

The Pelicans offense hasn't been stellar in the fourth quarter, but the team's failures don't stop at a few missed shots.

New Orleans shot better than 55% in Friday's fourth quarter and made every free throw down the stretch. Seven turnovers and 13 fouls still helped turn a lead into a loss.

Against Indiana, the Pelicans surrendered 37 fourth-quarter points. Denver matched that total.

Across those quarters, opponents have shot 59% while New Orleans has turned it over on roughly one in five possessions.

The offensive connections have weakened, too. Against Denver, 22 first-half assists became 11 over the second half and overtime combined. The Pelicans still made some solid individual plays, but struggled to assemble enough quality possessions around them.

A problem Mosley inherited

Mosley's decisions deserve scrutiny. His previous team also provides a reason to examine responsibility beyond the sideline.

Last season, Orlando went 27-16 in clutch games. New Orleans went 12-30.

The Magic defended better and turned it over less often in clutch time than the Pelicans did.

That doesn't mean Mosley bears no responsibility for his new team's failures. It does show that he inherited a closing problem rather than created one.

His job is to find combinations that can defend and rebound together, keep Williamson and Murphy involved, and provide a workable next action when the first option is taken away. The players have to execute. Veterans share responsibility for the late miscues; the losses can't be explained by youthful inexperience.

The Pelicans have shown how dangerous they can be when the game flows their way. Winning requires discipline when it doesn't.

A 23-point lead gave New Orleans room to withstand missed shots. Turnovers, fouls, and unfinished defensive possessions consumed that room. Until those habits change, even its best stretches will offer little security.