Little had been done by the Pelicans so far this season to inspire confidence that they could take care of business against even the worst the NBA currently has to offer. Despite a wobbly second half that featured a scoring bonanza from Bradley Beal, that changed on Wednesday night with what wound up being a dominant 124-106 home win over the Wizards from Washington D.C.
Beal’s intentions upon stepping onto the floor for the third quarter were immediately clear: he was going to leave it all in the Smoothie King Center. The only minutes he didn’t play in the second half were the final two, sitting only after the Pelicans had pushed the lead back into double digits.