Star in your role. That’s been a reoccurring message from Willie Green since training camp, one that Nickeil Alexander-Walker personified Tuesday in one of New Orleans’ more important wins this season. Alexander-Walker, who was moved to a reserve role in November after starting early in 2021-22, delivered his most impactful performance of the campaign, changing the momentum in the Pelicans’ favor with a fourth-quarter scoring barrage.
The third-year guard scored 15 straight New Orleans points and sank five three-pointers in the fourth period alone, lifting the hosts to a victory over the Western Conference’s 10th-place team. Despite a 3-16 record to open the season, the Pelicans are now just two games out of the final play-in tournament spot in the West.