Category: Pelicans

Pelicans don’t expect Lonzo Ball to be sidelined long-term

The New Orleans Pelicans are hopeful that Lonzo Ball will be back on the court sooner rather than later.

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Lonzo Ball missed his second consecutive game for the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday due to an adductor strain — more commonly known as a groin injury.

Ball was optimistic that he’d play against the Houston Rockets on Monday, but he and the team both decided it would be best for him to get him a full five days of rest before their matchup with the LA Clippers on Thursday. While Ball’s status hasn’t been updated yet, Pelicans sideline reporter Jennifer Hale reported during Saturday’s broadcast that the team’s training staff is optimistic that Ball’s injury won’t be a long-term issue:

“The Pelicans’ training staff told me they’ve got to rest him, got to let it heal up but hopefully it won’t be anything long-term.”

Considering Ball’s history with long-term injuries, that’s great news for both Ball and the Pelicans. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean his return is imminent.

As noted previously, Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry suffered a left adductor strain in November of 2018 and missed 11 games over the course of three weeks. With Ball’s history of leg-related injuries, the Pelicans will likely take the cautious route with the 22-year-old point guard.

Ball’s status will be officially updated on Wednesday.

Pelicans vs. Rockets: The Good, the Bad and the Ball

The New Orleans Pelicans did their best, but they couldn’t slow down James Harden and the Houston Rockets without Brandon Ingram.

The New Orleans Pelicans still haven’t won two games in a row this season after losing to the Houston Rockets 122-116 Monday at the Smoothie King Center. Here was the good, the bad and the Ball from the contest.

The Good: The wings

With both Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram — the Pelicans’ leading scorer — sidelined for Monday night’s matchup against the Rockets, New Orleans needed a balanced scoring effort from their team and they got just that, particularly from their shooting guards.

JJ Redick and Josh Hart scored a combined 43 points, with Redick leading the way for the Pelicans with 24 points, including seven 3-pointers. Hart, who started at small forward with Ingram out, also got hot from behind the arc, draining four 3-pointers in six tries.

Unfortunately, the starting shooting guard on the Rockets is pretty good, too. In 38:16, James Harden scored a game-high 39 points on 52% shooting from the field despite going 3-11 from behind the arc. He also dished out nine assists, which was two short of Jrue Holiday’s game-high 11 assists.

The Pelicans put up a good fight for most of the game, but it’s hard to compete against a team with two superstars when you have none and injuries to key players. Giving up 122 points didn’t help their cause, either.

The Bad: The defense

The Pelicans have had the same problem all season and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. I’m, of course, talking about their defense.

New Orleans let Houston score two points above their season average (120.1) on Monday despite holding them to just 16 fast break points. Their season average going into Monday night’s game was 20.4 points.

Guarding Harden and Westbrook is no easy task, especially with Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram out, but it’s something 28 other teams have to manage and they didn’t.

The Ball

Lonzo Ball sat out of Monday’s game with a adductor strain. He’ll be re-evaluated on Tuesday.

Pelicans vs. Rockets Preview: Can New Orleans go back-to-back?

The New Orleans Pelicans will look to start their first winning streak of the season with a win over the Houston Rockets on Monday.

Who: New Orleans Pelicans vs. Houston Rockets

When: Monday, Nov. 11, 8:00 p.m ET

Where: Smoothie King Center

How to watch: Fox Sports New Orleans

After snapping their three-game losing streak on Saturday against the Charlotte Hornets, the New Orleans Pelicans (2-7) will look to get their first back-to-back wins of the regular season when they host the Houston Rockets (6-3) on Monday.

Neither team has started the season the way they wanted but the Rockets are still firmly in the playoff conversation with their All-Star backcourt featuring Russell Westbrook and James Harden — each of whom has won the league MVP award within the last three years. The same can’t be said of the Pelicans, however, who are No. 13 in the Western Conference going into Monday night’s game — a team they don’t match up well with.

The Rockets are ranked sixth in the league in fast-break points led by Russell Westbrook, who is fourth among players in fast-break points per game (5.8). The Pelicans are also ranked sixth in fast-break points but they also allow the most fast-break points in the NBA (20.4). That’s not a recipe for success against any team, but especially not the Rockets.

It’s not just transition defense that the Pelicans struggle with, though — it’s defense in general. Through nine games, the Pelicans are ranked No. 29 in the league in defensive rating, allowing 113.3 points per 100 possessions. At No. 22, the Rockets aren’t much better. But Houston has the second-most efficient offense in the NBA behind the Dallas Mavericks.

New Orleans will have to be at its best defensively on Monday. But with Lonzo Ball — one of their best defensive guards — sidelined once again, their best might not be enough. Hopefully the new-look starting lineup continues to surprise people and helps the Pelicans start their first winning streak of the season.

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