Basketball On The Internet.

REFRESHED and with their game in greater tune and sync than in Friday's battle with NBL pacesetter Melbourne, the performance today of the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans against South East Melbourne reflected the chasm between the two elite competitions. That said, Akech Allir was very impressive.

His fearless attack at the Pelicans frontcourt was exciting to watch, his 16 points at an aggressive 50 per cent.

Daniel Foster was another Phoenix acolyte who showed no fear against a New Orleans team which shot the ball at a stunning 57 per cent, an accuracy no doubt inflated by its open court running game which caught South East out on too many occasions.

Saddiq Bey stuck 4-of-6 threes in his game-high 21-point return, Pelicans megastar Zion Williamson again playing just 15 minutes but pairing eight points with nine boards in that time.

Bey scored 17 first-half points, featuring a first-quarter burst of three consecutive 3-pointers.

“It’s been great,” he said post-game of his team’s Australian experience. “Melbourne is a great city.” Bey and Jordan Poole (15 points) combined to make 14 trips to the foul line in the first half. 

Rookie Jeremiah Fears showed none in his starting elevation, and Poole had fans out of their seats with his casual athleticism.

Jordan Hunter, Nathan Sobey and John Brown offered consistent resistance but were overwhelmed, Malique Lewis unable to find the form he was desperately searching for and Owen Foxwell way off on his shot.

He had not made one before finishing 2-of-13, his two makes inside the game's final two minutes.

Hunter Maldonado advanced his chances of an early flight home with a feckless 2-of-10 shooting return, both Allir and Foster also making strong cases for rotation advancement past him and DJ Mitchell.

{We reserve the right to comment on Yovel Zoosman and Cassius Winston from the official NBA-NBL boxscore (above) at a later date.}

Overall though, again the afternoon was a monumental success for the NBL and its visionary owner Larry Kestelman, not to mention for the continued growth and expansion of the sport across Australia.

Post-match Williamson again was his gregarious self, signing his playing shoes and donating them to a young cancer survivor. It was clear he loved this visit Down Under and, like everyone else associated with the NBA club, will do our game and reputation no end of good just through positive word of mouth.

Williamson even swapped his jersey with another giddy fan (above) and Nathan Sobey answered the question - who will step up and take a charge from him - by notably doing just that.

This was a genuine "feel good" series, the Pelicans making themselves many new fans.

NBA-NBL

New Orleans Pelicans 107 (Murphy 18, Williamson 15, Hawkins, Alvarado, Poole 11, McGowens 10; Missi 8 rebs; Williamson 5 assts) d Melbourne United 97 (Doyle 25, Delany 13, Wilson, Edwards 12, Daniels 11; Delany 9 rebs; Walker 5 assts) at Rod Laver Arena. Crowd: 14,880

New Orleans Pelicans 127 (Bey 21, Poole 15, Hawkins 14, Fears 12, Missi 10; Williamson 9 rebs; Poole 4 assts) d South East Melbourne Phoenix 92 (Hunter 17, Allir, Sobey 16; Brown 7 rebs; Sobey 5 assts) at Rod Laver Arena. 

LOONEY TUNES UP THE FANS: Kevon Looney on one of many Pelican fast breaks.

TOMORROW: What We Learnt #3