NBA scores 2017: Why we’re still worried about the Pelicans, and 6 more things from Wednesday

If the New Orleans Pelicans have a problem, it’s this: they’re too good.

Yes, yes, we know — that’s normally not a problem. But the Pelicans, now 18-16 after walloping the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday, aren’t good overall, just a couple games over .500. In fact, there’s one statistic in particular that just doesn’t seem sustainable, and that’s their three-point shooting. New Orleans is hitting 38.8 percent behind the three-point arc, the best mark in the entire league.

We’ve bemoaned the Pelicans this season, despite having two big men that could both start in the NBA All-Star Game. Why would they? New Orleans’ game Wednesday showed why, as the two big men combined for 60 points, 25 rebounds, and eight blocks between the two of them. (Davis was a plus-37 and Cousins, a plus-39. Spoiler alert: that’s extremely good.) The duo even shared seven assists between them.

But New Orleans has problems, and that problem is the bench lineup. Even playing against Brooklyn, the Pelicans seemed out of sorts. The Nets scored 128 points against New Orleans, while four of the six Pelicans bench players finished with a plus-minus that was minus-10 or worse.

So back to that problem: are the Pelicans — the Pelicans — suddenly the best three-point shooting team in the league? They were only the 19th-best shooting team last season. They have E’Twaun Moore and Darius Miller shooting 47.4 percent and 45.5 percent, respectively, while Anthony Davis has reached 40 percent. Needless to say, those are all career highs by a long shot.

Consider all that, and consider that the Pelicans are still only two games over .500. Moore and Miller are likely better shooters than they’ve ever been, and they may continue to set career highs. That doesn’t mean they won’t fall off some, especially with both playing more minutes than ever before in their careers.

I want the Pelicans to be good, because their style is the most interesting experiment we’ve seen in half a decade. But if a couple of the role players that have actually been producing for them come back to Earth, even slightly ... what then?

TWENTY-FIVE assists. That’s a stat line right there.

I am still slightly wary of Rondo, Real NBA Contributor. Throw out any defensive impact that he used to make in Boston, certainly. But New Orleans’ best two players are big men, and one thing Rondo can do is feed them. He’ll generate offense simply by reading post-up and pick-and-roll situations right more often than your average guard, and his touch will generate easy buckets for two cerebral players.

His three-point shooting may also fall into the above category, but probably not — he’s shooting 36.6 percent on 2.2 attempts per game, about in line with the past two seasons. Opponents still leave Rondo, but it’s not quite four-on-five basketball like the old days. Anyway, it’s good to have a player who can score two points while recording 25 assists. That, if nothing else, is a real joy.

Boston’s incredible first-year player just ... won’t ... stop ... being ... so ... damn ... good. As Boston led wire-to-wire in a win against Charlote, Tatum played 35 minutes, hit 6-of-12 from the field, and finished with 18 points, five rebounds, and two steals. He’s ever learning dribble moves from Kyrie Irving, or something.

I still tend to think this season will catch up to Tatum eventually, even just a little bit, but it’s extremely hard to argue with his results so far. As he continues to shoot 52 percent from the field and 48 percent from deep, it’s reasonable to ask why he isn’t taking more shots, in all honesty.

The Thunder, for the past couple weeks, have turned back to Russell Westbrook as their leading option for everything and plugged Paul George in behind him. It works, and it’s probably what it should have been this entire time, even if Carmelo Anthony had to take his lumps so he would more willingly accept the third option. And on Wednesday, Westbrook had 30 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds, George dropped 33 points himself, and Anthony fit in fine as a third “guy” — 18 points, 8-of-15 shooting, and an understanding that he’s a cog in the system now.

(Oklahoma City beat Toronto convincingly, too, and the Raptors have been sensational this season. That’s an excellent win.)

Celtics 102, Hornets 91 (Celtics Blog recap | At the Hive recap)

Mavericks 98, Pacers 94 (Mavs Moneyball recap | Indy Cornrows recap)

Hawks 113, Wizards 99 (Peachtree Hoops recap | Bullets Forever recap)

Bulls 92, Knicks 87 (Blog a Bull recap | Posting and Toasting recap)

Timberwolves 128, Nuggets 125 (OT!) (Canis Hoopus recap | Denver Stiffs recap)

Pelicans 128, Nets 113 (The Bird Writes recap | Nets Daily recap)

Thunder 124, Raptors 107 (WTLC recap | Raptors HQ recap)

Kings 109, Cavaliers 95 (Sactown Royalty recap | Fear the Sword recap)

Warriors 126, Jazz 101 (Golden State of Mind recap | SLC Dunk recap)

Grizzlies 109, Lakers 99 (Grizzly Bear Blues recap | Silver Screen & Roll recap)