Saddiq Bey scored 20 points on 12 shots Friday night. The Pelicans scored 119. That should have been enough to beat Utah.
Instead, New Orleans allowed 34 fourth-quarter points in a 120-119 loss, wasting another productive night from Bey and another opportunity to get Jamahl Mosley his first victory as Pelicans coach.
The Pelicans are 0-2, with the losses coming by a combined four points. An uncomfortable finish for a team counting on Mosley to establish a defensive identity.
1 Positive: Bey gives a disjointed offense some consistency
Bey has been the Pelicans' most reliable outside shooter through two games, and Friday he was also one of their most efficient scorers.
He finished with 20 points in just over 22 minutes, shooting 8-of-12 from the floor and 3-of-5 from three. Combined with his 13-point opener against Indiana, Bey is averaging 16.5 points on 57.1% shooting, including 55.6% from beyond the arc.
He's made five threes on nine attempts. The rest of the Pelicans are just 13 of 47.
That difference helps explain his importance to this offense. New Orleans has too often struggled to turn its individual talent into possessions with purpose. Bey has consistently supplied points without needing a large share of the shots.
No one paired better offensively with Zion Williamson than Bey. The two posted a 133.3 offensive rating in 13 minutes together. With defenses crowding the paint against New Orleans, Williamson needs teammates who convert their chances on the perimeter and give him more room to operate.
Bey finished plus-four against Utah, bringing him to plus-five across two losses. Add that to his scoring efficiency and it reinforces the case that he's been highly productive.
Mosley is still trying to figure out his rotations. Bey's numbers should earn him more minutes, perhaps even the starting assignment against the Nuggets.
1 Negative: The defense is failing when it matters most
Utah outscored New Orleans in three quarters and scored at least 30 points in each of them. The Pelicans dis win the third quarter 38-24, but followed up by giving up 34 in the fourth.
They even led 99-94 before surrendering a 15-3 run. After doing the work to erase a 15-point deficit, New Orleans once again failed to protect a lead.
The fourth-quarter numbers through two games are tough to stomach: 71 points allowed and 63.2% shooting by opponents. The Pelicans rank 29th in fourth-quarter defensive rating at 142.0 points allowed per 100 possessions, compared to 21st overall.
Their 50.6% shooting allowed this season also ranks New Orleans 29th. The problems extend far beyond closing time; they simply become more damaging then.
Mosley was brought in to fix this. We're just two games into the season, but it's early enough to question the defensive execution that has contributed to both losses.
Last season opened with a road loss at Memphis and an overtime loss to San Antonio at home. Those games were winnable, too. Being competitive in defeat is familiar territory for this franchise, and it offers little reassurance without evidence that the Pelicans can handle the possessions that decide games.
Bey has given New Orleans efficient scoring and badly needed shooting. The offense has its issues, but the Pelicans have scored enough to win both nights.
A coach hired for his defense has watched his team allow opponents to shoot nearly 66% from the floor in the fourth quarter. That's the most pressing problem after two games.
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