As the NBA resumes the regular season with an eight-game spring to the finish line before beginning the postseason, the current proposal could see a frenetic finish for the New Orleans Pelicans. The proposed plan would see each team play the next eight games on its NBA schedule where any game against a team not among the final 22 teams in Orlando will simply be skipped.
For the Pelicans, it will create an exciting finish to the season but one that will be challenging. Five of the Pelicans final eight games will come against sides they’ll be directing competing for the eighth seed against and each of the other three will come against playoff foes.
Interestingly, based on the current format, the Pelicans would not face the Washington Wizards at all in the 2019-20 season. The two sides were set to meet on April 1 and April 13 this season.
Here are the final eight games of the regular season for the Pelicans based on the current projected format:
Sacramento
Utah
Clippers
San Antonio
Memphis
Sacramento
Memphis
Orlando
The first game against Sacramento nearly went off as planned on the night the NBA shut down the season. However, the Pelicans refused to take the floor and the game was eventually called off. The result is a pair of games against the Kings to go with a pair of games against the Grizzlies.
The Pelicans will also meet San Antonio as well in a game that could play a big role in the playoff race. Match-ups against Utah and the Clippers will be a bit more daunting, though the former will be without a key starter in Bojan Bogdanovic the rest of the season. Finishing the season off against Orlando gives the Pelicans one of the easiest possible final games.
The season is set to resume on July 31.