Team Stats (Pelicans at Lakers) Final Score: 121-133 Rebounds: 40-46 Assists: 23-26 Blocks: 1-10 Steals: 6-4 Turnovers: 8-8 Stat Leaders Scoring Leaders: Bryce McGowens, 23; Luka Dončić, 34 Rebound Leaders: Saddiq Bey, 11; Luka Dončić, Deandre Ayton, 12 Assist Leaders: Bryce McGowens, 5; Austin Reeves, 8 My Player of the Game: Bryce McGowens Chrissy's Key Takeaways * The best player for the Pelicans against the Lakers was Bryce McGowens. The Pelicans have lost 11 of their last 12. * The Lakers dominated the first half, leading 46-27 after one quarter and 77-57 at the half. * The Pelicans were without five of their top players -- Dejoute Murray, Jordan Poole, Zion Williamson, Herb Jones, and Trey Murphy. Frustrating to see all that talent not able to play together. * The Pelicans found their offense in the third quarter, shooting 62.5% from the floor in the period and pulling to 100-89. That was as close as they got to tying things up. * New Orleans will play again on Tuesday at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Follow @TheKneaux on X, and follow me there too, @SportsChrissy.

The Saints lose in Miami after a crazy final few minutes. Tyler Shough drove down the field and threw what could’ve been the potential game-tying touchdown, but then threw a “pick-two” on the two-point conversion. Naturally, the Saints converted an onside kick once again in Miami, recovered by the one and only Devaugn Vele. Unfortunately, the Saints were unable to drive down the field and ultimately lost a close game. However, there were some positives to this one: with Tyler Shough looking solid and making a potential game-winning throw to Olave that was dropped, Devaugn Vele having his breakout game, Charlie Smyth nailing a 56-yard field goal as his first official NFL field goal attempt, and young players on the defense making big plays. Let’s break all of that down, as well as another inept performance by Kellen Moore as the head coach. Tyler Shough Tyler Shough started extremely slow in this one, with two turnovers in the first half and no points, but turned it around massively to close it out, finishing 26/38 for 239 yards, two touchdowns, and one pick. He led a solid touchdown drive to start the second half, which ended with a Chris Olave touchdown on a scramble drill. He made multiple plays happen on the move and was able to navigate what felt like constant pressure relatively well. To end the game, Tyler Shough led the potential game-tying touchdown drive and also threw a perfect ball that would have given the Saints the lead, which went directly through Chris Olave’s hands. It was by no means a perfect game by Shough, as both picks (one doesn’t count statistically since it was on a two-point conversion attempt) were extremely poor throws. In addition to this, Shough did take four sacks, with a couple of them feeling like he should have been able to navigate the pocket better or potentially throw the ball away. Shough clearly has the potential to develop into the Saints' franchise quarterback, but the team desperately needs to build a more explosive weapon group around him. Devaugn Vele Through the 12 weeks of the NFL season before this one, many Saints fans (myself included) were questioning why the Saints traded for Devaugn Vele if they weren’t going to use him. He had nine catches for 91 yards and a touchdown before this game, and he nearly matched his season total with eight catches against the Dolphins. It seems as though Kellen Moore finally realized that Vele has very strong hands, and his size makes him the perfect weapon to use for in-breaking routes such as slants and digs. He made multiple tough catches in this one, some through contact and some where he had to drag his feet/legs to make the play. This is exactly what all of us Saints fans have wanted to see to justify the Saints having one less draft pick in the upcoming draft. If Vele continues to perform this well, the Saints may just have a true weapon on their hands… And if the Saints somehow go and add Carnell Tate, Chris Bell, or Elijah Sarratt to this wide receiver room with Vele and Olave, watch out. Charlie Smyth Charlie Smyth, the Saints' new starting kicker from Ireland, attempted and made his first-ever NFL field goal today, which he nailed from 56 yards away. It appeared in this one for a while that he may never even get in range to attempt one, but when the Saints called on him to make a play in a very high-stakes moment, he did his job. That was something that Blake Grupe failed to do this season for the Saints multiple times, and the fact that Kellen Moore was confident enough to trust Smyth from that distance in that scenario makes me extremely happy and confident in Smyth’s future. Also, not only did Smyth make the kick, but it looked like it may have been good from 65 yards plus. Now, this is only his first kick, and things could turn bad after this week, but an international player who fought tooth and nail on his own to get to where he is, and that hard work paying off is special. I really hope that Smyth continues to succeed and that the Saints can rely on him for years to come, because that would be one less thing for the Saints to worry about this offseason. Young Defensive Playmakers Kool-Aid McKinstry, Quincy Riley, and Danny Stutsman all flashed today for the Saints, making splashy plays that make me excited to see what they can do for this team in the future. Kool-Aid had an interception in the endzone and a huge TFL on a late fourth down, Quincy Riley had an interception that was wrongfully called incomplete in my eyes, and Danny Stutsman absolutely destroyed Devon Achane on a run in the first half. If all three of these guys are hits, and if Jonas Sanker continues to play at a solid level, it really would be a great boost for this team’s future. It would mean they could focus more on improving the offensive side of the ball, and potentially go snag a playmaker to add to the defensive line across from Chase Young, such as Arvell Reese. Quincy Riley has become the true CB1 for the Saints in my eyes, as I feel his coverage has been better, but Kool-Aid has made multiple big splash plays that, in the future, hopefully change games for this team. Kellen Moore I said it last week, and I’ll say it again this week: I’m done with Kellen Moore. If the Saints want to succeed in the future, they should fire Kellen Moore after this crapshow of a season is over. Moore called a horrific game in the first half, scheming up routes short of the sticks consistently, as well as giving touches to Evan Hull over Devin Neal. This is no slight to Evan Hull, as he did look alright when he was given the ball, but this is a team that needs to see what they have in Devin Neal for the future of this team. In the second half, Devin Neal was leaned on in the run game, and it paid off, so why couldn’t they do that in the first half? In addition, Kellen Moore seemed to be calling plays off of his “recently called plays” section of the playsheet, like I always do in Madden, as he painfully called spacing over and over again. He consistently shows no emotion on the field, does not ever seem to discipline players who make mistakes, and seems not to know how to call a cohesive game as a playcaller. Could this be due to the Saints’ lack of offensive talent? Definitely. However, I do not believe that routes being designed to be run short of the sticks is an offensive talent issue. His reluctance to go up-tempo when that is clearly what is working best in a game as well is frustrating, and I pray he improves as this season finishes up. If Kellen Moore continues to have a stagnant offense, especially if he loses games to the Jets and/or Titans, his seat better heat up, and tough conversations must be had. Offensive MVP: Devaughn Vele Defensive MVP: Whole defense (minus Alontae Taylor, who single-handedly allowed the first touchdown) Special Teams MVP: CHARLIE “THE IRISH HAMMER” SMYTH

After a disappointing loss last week, the Saints have a much more difficult opponent in Week 13.

Team Stats (Pelicans at Warriors) Final Score: 96-104 Rebounds: 50-47 Assists: 16-28 Blocks: 2-3 Steals: 7-5 Turnovers: 13-9 Stat Leaders Scoring Leaders: Zion Williamson, 25; Jimmy Butler, 24 Rebound Leaders: Yves Missi, 10; Gary Payton II, 11 Assist Leaders: Zion Williamson, Jose Alvarado, 4; Jimmy Butler, 10 My Player of the Game: Zion Williamson Chrissy's Key Takeaways * The most interesting part of this game were announcers Joel Myers and Antonio Daniels . * The Pelicans are 3-17 on the season and play at the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. The Pels will be without at least Herb Jones (calf) and Zion Williamson (load management). Jordan Poole is almost ready to be back but it's not decided yet if he will be back for this game. * If New Orleans would have made seven of their nine missed free throws, they would have tied with the Warriors at the end of regulation. Follow @TheKneaux on X, and follow me there too, @SportsChrissy.

Team Stats (Grizzlies at Pelicans) Final Score: 133-128 (OT)) Rebounds: 49-40 Assists: 38-34 Blocks: 8-9 Steals: 9-10 Turnovers: 16-14 Stat Leaders Scoring Leaders: Jaren Jackson, 27; Jose Alvarado, 24 Rebound Leaders: Zach Edey, 15; Saddiq Bey, 10 Assist Leaders: Vince Williams Jr., 17; Derik Queen, 9 My Player of the Game: Jose Alvarado Chrissy's Key Takeaways * The Pelicans played with so much energy and passion that losing this game in overtime hurt because the team played hard and deserved it. * New Orleans closed the first quarter on a 30-7 run to take a 39-25 lead entering the second quarter. The Pelicans led 68-53 at halftime. * Zion hit the game-tying basket to force the game into overtime, but then the Grizzles. * Stagnant offense was a problem for the Pelicans who scored only nine points in the final six minutes of regulation and just six in overtime. * The Pelicans are 3-16 on the season. Follow @TheKneaux on X, and follow me there too, @SportsChrissy.

Rivalry week is finally here in the college football world, and in this beloved state, we have our very own: The Battle on the Bayou. The ULM Warhawks are set to face off against the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns in Lafayette at 2pm Saturday to wrap up the regular season. ULM started off this season on somewhat of a high note, going 3-1 with their only loss to a 21st-ranked Alabama team who shut them out 73-0. Then their downfall started, losing seven straight games and eliminating themselves from any postseason hopes, and that's where they sit coming into this week. This game does not hold much significance for the Warhawks, other than trying to "reignite" what has been a one-sided rivalry. ULM has only won 2 of the last 10 games vs Louisiana, and only 5 of the last 20 games. Louisiana comes into this game with bowl eligibility on the line. "Louisiana" and "bowl eligibility" are two phrases that just a few weeks ago when the Cajuns were 2-6 that just simply didn't go together. The Cajuns have had a rough season riddled with injuries. From losing QB Walker Howard in the season opener to top WR Shelton Sampson Jr. battling injuries until midseason, and an offensive line devastated by nine season-ending injuries, this team has had to "scratch and claw" their way out of desperate situations every game. However, after a 2-6 start with one more loss eliminating them from any bowl hopes, Louisiana now rides a 3-game winning streak coming into this game, covering the spread in all three games which they were underdogs in. It is something that although seemed so far-stretched for the fan base, the team kept believing. QB Lunch Winfield and Shelton Sampson Jr., both of whom have been on the forefront of the team's recent success, always knew that they had it in them, it was just a matter of when it would click for them and the entire team. Here are the keys to a Cajuns victory and what we can expect on Saturday, as well as my predictions: Offense needs to do what it has done best the last 3 weeks - start strong! Through the first eight games of the season, the Cajuns only averaged 13 points in the first half of those games. But over the last three games (at South Alabama, vs Texas State, at Arkansas State), this offense averaged 28 points in the first half of those games. Ultimately, that early success has helped them win those 3 games, as their second half offense has not been as strong (average 8 points per game). Now granted, ULM’s offense is not as powerful as Texas State or South Alabama (Warhawks offense produces the least yards of any opponent UL has faced this season), and do a very poor job at putting up points (average 16 points per game). But given the rivalry situation (6 of the last 10 matchups between the two ended in a one-score game), this won’t be the time for the Cajuns to ease up. Expect the Cajuns to start off firing on all cylinders on offense to give them a cushion going into the halftime break. Prediction: Lunch Winfield will have 130 yards passing with a touchdown pass, as well as 50 yards rushing with a touchdown run in the first half of the game. ULM’s defense does a great job at getting to the QB (24 sacks on the season, led by CB D’Arco Perkins-McAllister and NT Dylan Howell with 4 each). With UL’s offensive line being shaky due to injuries and a depleted depth chart, I expect Lunch to move outside the pocket a lot. That being said, I don’t think we’ll see much of a great running game by the Cajuns, so they will have to rely much on Lunch’s dual-threat capabilities. This is a momentum-building game for UL’s defense…if they can slow down the run This is a defense that has struggled a lot this season, whether Cajuns fans want to believe it or not. UL has allowed 188 yards per game on the ground this season, and 255 yards through the air against Sun Belt teams, both of which are among the worst in the country. Even in their last three games, defense has been shaky at times. Against Texas State a couple weeks ago, they allowed 366 yards passing, 168 yards rushing, and 8 plays of 20+ yards, 5 of which resulted in touchdowns. There was improvement against Arkansas State last week even when many Cajuns defensive players were out to suspensions, limiting them to just 3 plays of 20+ yards and under 140 yards rushing. With ULM coming in with a bottom-10 passing game, this should help the Cajuns build some confidence going into their bowl game should they win this game. However, ULM this season is a run-heavy team led by Braylon McReynolds and Zach Palmer-Smith, each with over 500 yards rushing. This could spell trouble for a UL defense that still struggles at slowing down the run. Prediction: ULM will be held to under 170 yards passing and under 150 yards rushing. UL’s run defense has been improving but very slowly. With bowl game hopes on the line, I think this team finally puts all the pieces together to slow down a run-heavy offense, forcing Armenta to have to throw more in dire need. Luckily, with the defense being pretty healthy coming into this game, I can see ULM being held to under 320 yards and very limited scoring opportunities. Final Prediction: Even though this is a rivalry game that usually ends up being close, UL should win this game pretty handily. Although their record may say otherwise, this is a pretty good football team with an offense that can be explosive. As long as the defense can mesh together against a Warhawk offense that simply does not a good job moving the ball and scoring, I think this could end up being a blowout in favor of the Cajuns. Coach Des and the players have been very vocal about how much it’ll mean to them if they get the opportunity to play a 13th game, and they will work hard to earn that opportunity on Saturday. Give me UL to beat ULM 34-17, finishing 6-6 and earning bowl eligibility for an 8th straight season.

Team Stats (Bulls at Pelicans) Final Score: 130-143 Rebounds: 33-55 Assists: 29-28 Blocks: 3-5 Steals: 3-13 Turnovers: 17-10 Stat Leaders Scoring Leaders: Ayo Dosunmu, 28; Zion Williamson, 29 Rebound Leaders: Josh Giddey, 7; Yves Missi, 13 Assist Leaders: Tre Jones, 11; Jose Alvarado, 8 My Player of the Game: Zion Williamson Chrissy's Key Takeaways * This was the best first half of basketball that the Pelicans have played all season, and it seemed actually possible that the team would get their third win of the season. * James Borrego did something interesting to start the second half -- he started Jose Alvarado and Yves Missi instead of Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen. It was great to see, not because Fears or Queen had done anything wrong, but because Jose and Missi had the hot hands. Play who is working for you. * You know who is so important but no one talks about him? Saddiq Bey. He consistently puts up numbers and works hard. Tonight he had his second night of a double-double. * Micah Peavy had a heck of a game. Zion was solid all night long. Jose was a huge factor. Trey shot the ball well. The Pelicans were without Jordan Poole, Karlo, and Jordan Hawkins and still looked like a very good team. * The Pelicans played with pace tonight and it made a huge difference in everything. This is how the team should be playing every night. * Tonight might have been the awakening we've been waiting for with this team. Follow @TheKneaux on X, and follow me there too, @SportsChrissy.