Category: Pelicans

Pelicans vs. Magic Recap: The good, the bad and the Ball

The Pelicans’ losing streak reached 12 games on Sunday afternoon with a 130-116 loss at home to the Orlando Magic.

The Pelicans’ losing streak reached 12 games on Sunday afternoon with a 130-116 loss at home to the Orlando Magic.

The Good: The time of the game

Much like last weekend’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the good news for Sunday’s loss is that it happened in the afternoon with plenty of time to do other things on the day. The Pelicans were in the game for most of the first half but then were outscored 41-27 in the third and never could make up the deficit in the fourth.

The Bad: The effort

It’s been a reoccurring problem for much of the losing streak, but on Sunday in the second half, the effort was terrible. The meltdown was highlighted by Josh Hart’s technical and a pair of technicals and an ejection from Alvin Gentry.

It’s the same old song and dance with this team currently. A handful of good quarters are wholly undone by either a stretch or even a full quarter of bad play. At a certain point, questions about Gentry’s role in their lacklusterness should be asked.

The Ball: Start fast, finish slow

Lonzo Ball’s play on the night mirrored that of the Pelicans on the night. The Pelicans started fast and so did Ball as he had one of his best halves of the season. But he followed it with a half that is becoming all too common for him and the team as he drifted and had little impact.

At the end of the day, he finished with a stat line of nine points, six assists and five rebounds on 3-of-7 shooting overall and 2-of-4 shooting from deep. But that stat line is deceiving for all the reasons lifted above.

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Report: Teams ‘monitoring’ Derrick Favors as trade target

The next handful of weeks, though, could serve as an audition for Derrick Favors and a potential suitor in the trade market.

When the New Orleans Pelicans acquired Derrick Favors this summer, the idea was that he would be seen as a missing piece for the Pelicans and potentially an integral part of a darkhorse playoff contender.

Instead, Favors’ struggles this year have mirrored those of New Orleans as a whole. Favors returned to the lineup on Friday in a loss to Philadelphia after a lengthy break following the death of his mother. The next handful of weeks, though, could serve as an audition for Favors and a potential suitor in the trade market.

From Heavy’s Sean Deveney:

According to league sources, one of the more disappointing players on one of the league’s more disappointing teams—Derrick Favors of the Pelicans—is being “monitored” by several teams. There’s still no indication that New Orleans, with Favors having missed time because of back spasms and the death of his mother, will raise a metaphorical white flag, sell off veteran pieces and look ahead to next season.

On the year, Favors has a net rating of -3.7, one that isn’t inspiring on the surface. However, that mark is the third-best on the Pelicans this season with Jaxson Hayes and Kenrich Williams the only two players with better figures. Interestingly, it’s the offense that plays better with Favors on the floor as his 109.0 rating on that end is second to only JJ Redick’s 109.5 offensive rating in New Orleans.

But while Favors has been valuable this season, each loss for the Pelicans drops them further and further from contention and closer to trades. Hayes’ performance this season has also made Favors more expendable. Drafted No. 8 overall in last year’s draft, Hayes has exceeded expectations and played his way into regular minutes this season.

Add in the fact Favors is an expiring deal and the likely conclusion is that he’ll be dealt. As a solid defensive big man, he’ll certainly have a market and could still yet net the Pelicans value on his way out.

Pelicans vs. Sixers Recap: The good, the bad and the Ball

A slow first quarter proved too costly on a night when the Pelicans battled one of the Eastern Conference’s elite on the road until the very end before falling to the Sixers on Friday, 116-109.

A slow first quarter proved too costly on a night when the Pelicans battled one of the Eastern Conference’s elite on the road until the very end before falling to the Sixers on Friday, 116-109.

The Good: The fight

Too often in the Pelicans’ current now 11-game losing streak, the team has rolled over and played dead after falling behind by double digits. That appeared to be what the case was going to be on Friday when Philly jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first half but New Orleans rallied in a big way.

A 7-0 run to close the first half cut a 12-point lead down to five and set the stage for a close second half. Moral victories are not going to turn the season around but considering where the Pelicans are currently, they should be a welcome change.

Honorable mention: Brandon Ingram (yet again), Derrick Favors’ return, the lack of turnovers

The Bad: Another loss

Moral victories don’t end double-digit losing streaks. It was always a daunting task for New Orleans to get its first win in weeks against the Sixers on the road but the first-quarter performance doomed them from the start. From the second quarter on, the Pelicans outscored Philly 84-77. That doesn’t matter as much when you lose the first quarter by double-digits.

But in the search of positives, if the team can replicate the performance from the final three quarters on Friday when they play the Magic on Sunday, it should lead to a rare win.

Honorable mentions: The offense outside of Ingram, the defense on Tobias Harris

The Ball: A quiet night

Lonzo Ball was mainly a pedestrian on the night. He finished with six points, three assists and two rebounds with a steal and a turnover. It wasn’t even necessarily a poor shooting night as he only attempted six shots and made two of them, including going 1-of-3 from three.

These are the nights Ball has to avoid. At times, he just drifted around the court and was a total non-factor. In the past, those could be times when he’d make an impact defensively to spark his game. Those moments have been totally non-existent this season.

Pelicans vs. Sixers Preview: The finished process and the current process

The New Orleans Pelicans will look to break their 10-game losing streak on the road on Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Who: New Orleans Pelicans at Philadelphia 76ers

When: Friday, Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m ET

Where: Wells Fargo Center

How to watch: Fox Sports New Orleans

The Pelicans’ current losing streak could not come at a worse time. After a loss to league-best Milwaukee on Wednesday, New Orleans faces the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference in Philadelphia on Friday.

Without Zion Williamson and Derrick Favors, the Pelicans have lacked defense at the rim for much of the current losing streak. Over the last 10 games, the Pelicans are 28th in the league in defending the rim.

The Sixers have the perfect combination to exploit that. On the season, Philadelphia is fifth in the league in field goal percentage at the rim at 64.7 percent with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid leading the charge.

Philadelphia also has a shooting percentage of 43.9 percent on corner three-pointers, the second-best mark on the year, while also shooting the fourth-best percentage on three-pointers overall in the league at 38.1 percent. New Orleans allows the 10th-most corner three-pointers while also being 26th in defending the three-point line.

On paper, one of the few areas the Pelicans could exploit in the match-up comes on corner three-pointers on the other end of the court. New Orleans shoots 42.6 percent on those shots, the third-best mark in the league. Philadelphia gives up the fewest corner three-pointers but teams shoot 43.0 percent on those shots, ranking Philly 24th in the league in defending that specific shot.

It’s a very, very small light on what has been a dark time in New Orleans as they look for an improbable upset to end their losing streak.

Could LaMelo Ball land with the New Orleans Pelicans and brother Lonzo Ball?

As the New Orleans Pelicans continue free falling, the possibility of landing LaMelo Ball in the 2020 NBA Draft is increasing in likelihood.

The New Orleans Pelicans were not expected to find themselves near the top of the draft lottery this season. LaMelo Ball was not expected to be in contention for the top pick this upcoming spring. But circumstances playing out the way they have leaves an intriguing possibility playing itself out.

After Thursday night’s results, the Pelicans find themselves tied for the third spot in the draft lottery. That fall has been the result of 10-game losing skid New Orleans finds itself in the midst of, the latest loss coming at the hands of Milwaukee.

Under the new lottery system which began last season, if the Pelicans land in the third spot, they would have a 14 percent chance of landing the top pick, the same odds as the teams in first and second. The teams in fourth and fifth would hold 12.5 percent and 10.5 percent odds at the top pick, respectively.

Overall, the Pelicans would have a 63.6 percent at staying in the top five. New Orleans could also fall no lower than seventh.

Which brings Ball into the equation. The latest DraftExpress mock draft saw Ball rise to the top spot overall. His play in the National Basketball League has been stellar. In his last two outings, he notched back-to-back triple-doubles.

However, a foot injury not only sidelined Ball for the team’s last game but also will keep him out of action for four weeks. That will likely keep Ball off the court until January. Coincidentally, James Wiseman, one of the prospects expected to challenge Ball for the top spot, will return to the court on Jan. 12 for Memphis after an NCAA-imposed suspension.

Roughly the same, though a specific timeframe is unknown, Zion Williamson will return to the court for the Pelicans. His absence has played a huge role in the team’s slow start to the season. His return will provide a huge boost for the Pelicans which will almost certainly lead to more wins.

Where the Pelicans stand in the lottery at that point will determine how high they rise in the lottery as a result of those wins. It’s all a bunch of spinning wheels that are yet to be set and will certainly have many more twists and turns before season’s end. But, for now, the possibility remains the two-thirds of the Ball brothers could reunite for the first time since Chino Hills.

Pelicans vs. Bucks Recap: The Good, the Bad and the Ball

The Milwaukee Bucks handled the visiting New Orleans Pelicans 127-112.

The New Orleans Pelicans never really stood a chance against the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks on the road, losing 127-112 on Wednesday. Here was the good, the bad and the Ball from the game.

The Good: The Bucks

With a win on Wednesday, the Bucks are still tied for the best record in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers. While having the reigning league MVP on their team certainly hasn’t made their season hard, the team’s front office also did a good job of keeping the core pieces together in the offseason and replacing the hole left by Malcolm Brogdon.

If the Bucks aren’t in the NBA Finals next year, it would be genuinely surprising.

The Bad: The Pelicans

On the opposite side of the spectrum, the Pelicans hold the second-worst record in the Western Conference and the fourth-worst record in the NBA. It’s not so much that the players themselves are bad — it has more to do with the fact that they’re not particularly deep and head coach Alvin Gentry hasn’t been able to find which lineups maximize the talent he does have.

The season may already be lost, but there’s still plenty for the organization to figure out throughout the rest of the season.

The Ball

Lonzo Ball ended his night with with six points on 22.2% from the field, six assists and five rebounds per game. Suffice to say, he’s had better nights. However, he did manage to poke away a game-high four steals.

Ball and the Pelicans will look to bounce back against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.

Lonzo Ball says new jump shot feels more consistent

After spending the summer re-tooling his jump shot, Lonzo Ball feels more comfortable shooting the ball.

Lonzo Ball has digressed in nearly every statistical category this season, including, but not limited to, field goal percentage, rebounds per game, assists per game, steals per game and defensive rating. However, the one area he’s drastically improved is his 3-point percentage.

Through 16 games for the New Orleans Pelicans, Ball has shot 34% from 3-point range on 6.3 attempts per game. He’s still not an efficient 3-point shooter by any stretch of the imagination, but the progress is there thanks to the changes he made to his jump shot over the summer, and Ball feels it, too.

During an interview with Andrew Lopez of ESPN, Ball said that he’s more comfortable with the rhythm of his jump shot than he has been in the past:

“I think now my shot is just more consistent,” Ball said. “It feels the same throughout the game instead of how I had it last year when it was kind of adjusting throughout the game. It just comes with hard work. I’m going to keep working and hopefully [shooting percentages] will keep going up.”

The key for Ball continuing his improvement as a 3-point shooter will be getting live-game reps. Yes, getting shots up at practice will help, but the more he gets those shots in game situations, the better.

Luckily, Ball’s new head coach, Alvin Gentry, seems to want that for him, too.

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Pelicans vs. Bucks Preview: Kicking ’em while they’re down

The hits just keep coming for New Orleans as, in the midst of a nine-game losing streak, the team travels to league-best Milwaukee.

Who: New Orleans Pelicans at Milwaukee Bucks

When: Wednesday, Dec. 11, 9:30 p.m ET

Where: Fiserv Forum

How to watch: ESPN, Fox Sports New Orleans

The New Orleans Pelicans have not been at a lower point this season than the one they’re currently at. Fittingly, a trip to the best team in the Eastern Conference awaits them to only pile onto their misery.

While New Orleans is on a nine-game losing streak, Milwaukee is on a 15-game win streak. During the nine-game losing streak, the Pelicans are 28th in defensive rating, 26th in offensive rating and 28th in net rating. In that same span, Milwaukee is second in offensive rating, first in defensive rating and first in net rating.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has elevated his already MVP-level form this season, averaging 30.9 points, 13.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists per contest while playing fewer minutes per night than last season through the opening 24 games of the season.

This season, the Bucks take the third-most three-pointers per contest and have the best effective field goal percentage in the league. Defensively, the Bucks hold teams to the lowest effective field goal percentage in the league, though 27th in three-pointer percentage.

New Orleans could take advantage of that on the night as they take the fourth-most three-pointers in the league but only shoot the 11th-best three-point percentage in the league.

It’ll be a daunting task for the Pelicans no matter how it’s sliced as the team looks for an improbable win to stop its losing skid.

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Pelicans vs. Pistons Recap: The Good, the Bad and the Ball

Derrick Rose exploded in the fourth quarter and broke the hearts of New Orleans Pelicans fans in the process.

Derrick Rose was the difference for the Detroit Pistons in a tightly contested matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday. Here was the good, the bad and the Ball from the Pelicans’ 105-103 loss to the Pistons.

The Good: NOLA’s Interior Defense

Despite not having Zion Williamson or Derrick Favors for Monday night’s contest, the Pelicans were able to hold Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin to a combined 5-20 shooting from the field. Overall, the Pistons scored just 105 points, which is the third-least points they’ve allowed this season.

Brandon Ingram was also stellar, scoring a game-high 31 points on 11-21 shooting from the field, including 4-9 shooting from behind the arc.

Unfortunately, the combination of those two things wasn’t enough for the Pelicans to snap their nine-game losing streak. They came close, but Derrick Rose scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, including the crowd-silencing buzzer-beater.

The Bad: Free-throw shooting

The Pelicans missed seven of the 22 free throws they attempted Monday night. They lost by two. Do the math.

The Ball

In his first game back on the bench, Lonzo Ball tallied 6 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and one turnover in 29:31. He looked a bit better on defense, but his overall offensive game is still rough.

Pelicans vs. Mavericks Recap: The good, the bad and the Ball

A stellar third quarter from the Dallas Mavericks blew open Saturday’s matinee match-up against the Pelicans as New Orleans dropped its eighth straight game, 130-84.

A stellar third quarter from the Dallas Mavericks blew open Saturday’s matinee match-up against the Pelicans as New Orleans dropped its eighth straight game, 130-84. The 46-point loss is the worst regular season loss in franchise history.

The good: Luka Doncic

It should go without saying that one of the leading MVP candidates was a highlight on the day but he went nuclear in the third period. He finished the night overall with 26 points, nine assists and six rebounds and took a 12-point halftime lead and blew it up to 38 points by the end of the third.

Doncic controlled the game on the offensive end unlike many sophomores ever have in the NBA. He’s a certified superstar who can take over a game and end it in a snap of a finger. Few players can do that in the league. New Orleans learned Doncic was one of those today.

Honorable mentions: Brandon Ingram, the start time of the game

The bad: Errr….everything?

It’s hard to pick one thing that was standout bad on the day. The Pelicans self-combusted in the third period, shot an impossible-to-believe 3-of-32 from three-point territory and shot 36 percent overall from the field.

Dallas, meanwhile, had no struggles. The Mavericks bench outscored the Pelicans 65-28 and had a lead as big as 50 points on the day. There was nothing not negative from the Pelicans on the day.

The Ball: Another disappointing shooting performance

After having arguably his best game as a Pelican, Lonzo Ball had one of his worst games, going 1-for-9 from the field and 0-for-7 from three. He finished with four points, four rebounds and two assists and had a plus-minus of -21, which, if you’re looking for small positives, was the best mark of anyone in the Pelicans starting lineup.

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