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Andrew LopezESPN
NEW ORLEANS — Sunday afternoon saw the clock tick down. The Smoothie King Center was buzzing with the sound of Jose, Jose, Jose.
The New Orleans Pelicans Faithful were showing their love to their cult hero Jose Alvarado. He was just minutes away from his former undrafted opponent, when his teammate walked off. Larry Nance Jr. The crowd was asked to be louder. Alvarado received a standing ovation and they happily agreed.
It was all well-deserved. Alvarado scored 38 points and hit a career high of eight 3-pointers, helping the Pelicans win 121-106 over the Philadelphia 76ers. Denver Nuggets. New Orleans won its fourth straight game, moving them past Denver in the standings to become No. 2 in the Western Conference.
Alvarado quickly became a fan favorite because of his defensive play. This clip shows Alvarado. D’Angelo Russell Alvarado’s response to a question about whether he could take pictures went viral, with his “yes, we can shoot” answer. Alvarado came together at the most crucial time for the Pelicans — and fans loved every second of it.
“It’s amazing,” Alvarado said. It’s amazing. It’s my second year, and it gives me goosebumps every time they shout out “Jose” and do the chant or show me love. It’s a great motivator to continue playing as hard and as much as possible.
New Orleans signed Alvarado in undrafted free after last year’s draft. Alvarado was not even going to be playing for the Pelicans’ summer league squad in 2021. Alvarado began to play a part in the Pelicans’ G League team last season. His popularity among fans continued to rise.
ESPN Stats and Information research revealed that Alvarado scored 38 points, the most by an undrafted player who came off the bench in a NBA game since 1970-71 when starters were first recorded. It was also the largest undrafted Pelicans starter or reserve player’s total score, and the most ever scored by any Pelicans reserve, drafted as well as undrafted.
“Y’all see his energy,” Pelicans forward Zion Williamson said. “Like, it was 38. It’s not like we’re telling Joe, ‘Jose don’t shoot.
“I tell him every day, Joe, be yourself. Being yourself is our X factor. You can bring energy or you can be there to help us.
Alvarado checked into the hospital Sunday afternoon, in the middle of a pair. Nikola Jokic Jokic made two free throws and the Nuggets led 29-16. Jokic added another to increase the lead to 14. This was Denver’s biggest win. In the following 4 minutes, 30 seconds, the Pelicans went on an impressive 20-4 run. Alvarado scored 14 of those points.
Alvarado made an immediate impact and the Pelicans benefited from his energy for the rest of their game.
Willie Green, Pelicans coach said that Jose is rarely absent from practice and does what he does. “He does the same thing he did tonight in practice, shootarounds. Walkthroughs. Film. He is just that. It was an absolute joy to see.
Alvarado scored 19 first-half points and didn’t return in until the end of the third quarter, when there were only 46 seconds remaining. He scored 19 more points when the fourth quarter began. His previous NBA record was 23. Alvarado couldn’t remember when he had scored 38 points in a game before.
“I don’t remember, man,” Alvarado said. “My thing isn’t to be a big scoring player. Today, my teammate found me open. I did not do anything extra. I made shots. It’s been a long time since 38. I honestly don’t remember if I had 38. This will be the one that I’ll remember.
Michael Malone, Nuggets’ coach, was expelled after picking up two technical violations with just 2:03 remaining in the fourth quarter. Alvarado made both free throws, bringing his total to 38.
Alvarado’s teammates set out to get him 40. Alvarado was ignoring opportunities and letting his teammates get the ball back to them. Alvarado missed a quick jumper in the lane, and had a layup blocked near the rim just before Green took him out.
“[My teammates] Alvarado continued to tell me that there were two more, three more and then I became tired and thought I had the layup, but it was what it was.” “But 38 is the win, I’ll accept it. That’s a great deal.