By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

AFTER two subpar shooting performances where he played less than 20 minutes in each game, Buddy Hield returned to the hot shooting he has exhibited throughout the month of December.

Hield finished with 17 points and six rebounds in a 102-98 win over the LA Clippers at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Hield shot 7-11 from the field and 3-5 from three-point range.

Wednesday night’s performance followed 14 points on 6-8 shooting and 2-4 from three in a 111-104 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night.

Pelicans’ point guard Jrue Holiday, who finished with nine points and 11 assists, said Hield’s play was one of the catalysts behind the Pelicans’ win over the Clippers.

“Buddy I felt like he really got the crowd into it, he got us into it. The energy was there,” he said. “Buddy Buckets kind of came into effect.”

Hield said his comfort level has increased with a stability in playing time.

“I still need to get higher quality shots like the shots I’m used to taking and getting more comfortable,” he said, “My confidence is high right now and its growing each and every game. That’s all i can do right now let it grow each and every game and just keep getting better from there.”

New Orleans played more than half the game without head coach Alvin Gentry, who was ejected while arguing over a three-shot foul called against Holiday as he defended Clippers point guard Paul on the perimeter.

Top Pelicans assistant Darren Erman took over for Gentry after that. “Erm is always a fun coach he’s always hyped up and he’s going to give you all he’s got I’ll tell you that for sure. He motivated us, whatever he ran it worked, we stuck with it and we came out with the win,” Hield said.

“[Coach Gentry] he’s been more hyped up than that I didn’t think it was really anything. He was just telling the ref it was a foul and I feel both refs misinterpreted it. I think he deserved one but not two but we came together and fought it out. Coach Ern and the staff strategised well and we came out with the victory.”

Over the first 20 games of the season, Hield averaged 6.9 points on 24 per cent shooting, but in the last 13 games he has averaged 10.5 points on 48 per cent shooting.

“I still think being able to be a screen and roll player is one of the things he’s got to work on. I won’t say shot selection --- that doesn’t mean he takes bad shots, he’s just got to get a little bit of a better feel for when he’s open to shoot it, when he should be pump faking and driving and things like that. The only way he’s going to get better is to be out there playing and understand that,” Gentry said at media availibility following yesterday’s practice session. “I like the progress he’s made. I think he’s worked hard defensively. Obviously that’s an area he knew he had to get better in but I just think that it’s the normal progression of rookies”.

Gentry said Hield, the No.6 overall pick in June’s draft, has the green light to shoot but joked about Hield’s appeal for fanfare, exhibited in one highlight reel play where he did two consecutive spin moves to bypass a pair of CLippers defenders and drain a three pointer.

“I think the thing here is we’ve always encouraged him to be a shooter. We didn’t draft Buddy to be a playmaker and say ‘I hope he can average seven assists per game.’ He’s out there to shoot and he has the freedom to do that. I think he’s worked on getting better at the overall pro game, the speed and physicality of it,” Gentry said, “That spin move is great but he knows that if he turns it over, he gets the message - he’s just not going to do that. He’s got to play lose, you cant play if you’re tight.I tell him whatever you do just play loose and we can talk about what you should and shouldn’t do after the game.”

On the season, Hield is averaging 8.5 points on 40 per cent shooting and 35 per cent from three on just over 19 minutes per game.

The Pelicans have won three out of four games on their current homestand.

After a 1-8 start, the Pelicans are now 13-21 and two games behind the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference.

They continue their homestand tonight when they host the New York Knicks at the Smoothie King Center.