Tag: New Orleans 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 to host Paul George for his Clippers debut

The New Orleans Pelicans will reportedly be the team that Paul George faces in his Los Angeles Clippers debut.

The New Orleans Pelicans may have the dubious honor of being the NBA’s first team to face the star-studded Los Angeles Clippers at full strength.

While it won’t be the sort of news that will help the struggling Pelicans snap out of the funk that has them among the league’s least winningest-teams, news that six-time All-Star Paul George may make his season debut against New Orleans tomorrow night ought to make the matchup more interesting.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo reported that George may make his season debut Wednesday night, when the two teams will meet for the first time this season. George has been on the mend for some time now, recovering from dual shoulder surgeries conducted in the offseason to correct nagging issues that plagued the California native in the 2019 postseason.

Of course, with New Orleans dealing with a number of injuries of their own, it’s certainly possible that the team’s other superstar forward, Kawhi Leonard, takes the night off himself rather than risk injury facing a team unlikely to put up much of a fight given their own state.

With Lonzo Ball working his way back from a groin injury, Brandon Ingram recovering from a strained knee and Jaxson Hayes day-to-day with a bruised rib cage he sustained against the Houston Rockets (and, of course, rookie phenom Zion Williamson sidelined until December), much of the early-season buzz around the Pels has subsided, as have expectations for a playoff berth.

If recent history is any clue, Leonard resting is not an improbable outcome, as the Clippers are set to face the Rockets on Tuesday. While also riddled with injuries to their wing rotation, simply having James Harden and Russell Westbrook available makes that matchup a bigger risk to the Clippers.

With Leonard already sitting out back-to-backs this season as part of his load management approach, it’s possible the front office chooses to rest their championship player, giving New Orleans a chance to capitalize on the potential issues which could arise from trying to integrate George into an already-established Clippers rotation.

Though, given the sole instance of Leonard resting came against the arguably stronger franchise (Leonard played against his former San Antonio Spurs the following evening after resting against the Utah Jazz on Oct. 30), it’s also very possible the team will face one of the biggest challenges of the season tomorrow night.

Only time will tell.

Pelican Peek: Injuries further dampen brutal start for New Orleans

The New Orleans Pelicans picked up their second win of the season on the week but injuries highlight more struggles for the team.

Results: Loss versus Toronto, 122-104; Win at Hornets, 115-110; Loss versus Houston, 122-116

The New Orleans Pelicans have had a brutal start to the season that has only grown worse through matters not even on the court. Injuries to Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram left both out of action for Monday’s contest against the Rockets. For Ball, Monday’s game was the second-consecutive contest he sat out after suffering an injury in last week’s game against the Brooklyn Nets.

With Ingram on Saturday, New Orleans grabbed its second win of the season on the road against Charlotte. Without him on Monday, the underpowered Pelicans struggled against one of the Western Conference elites in the Rockets.

As reports have begun circulating that Paul George could make his return to the court on Thursday this week against the Pelicans, matters may only get worse moving forward if New Orleans can’t start to turn things around.

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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.

James Harden heats up late as Rockets win fourth straight game

James Harden had 19 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter as the Houston Rockets won their fourth straight game on Monday in New Orleans.

Superstar Houston Rockets guard James Harden was named Western Conference Player of the Week earlier Monday, and he followed that up with 39 points and nine assists just a few hours later in New Orleans as the Rockets defeated the Pelicans, 122-116 (box score).

It’s the fourth straight win for the Rockets, who are now a season-best four games over .500 at 7-3. With the loss, the Pelicans fall to 2-8.

Harden started cold with just 2 points in the first quarter and hit only 3-of-11 (27.3%) on three-pointers, down from 43.1% over his last three games. But the former NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) got going by attacking the rim, with 10 makes in 14 attempts inside the arc.

Of Harden’s 39 points, 28 came in the second half and 19 in the fourth quarter. In one sequence, he scored 15 consecutive Houston points.

Russell Westbrook had 26 points (11-of-21 shooting) and was especially strong on mid-range shots, while starting center Clint Capela grabbed 20 rebounds for a second consecutive game.

Capela also recorded 20+ rebounds in consecutive games last season. Prior to that, the last Rockets player to do so was Charles Barkley — way back in November 1996.

Eric Gordon posted by far his most efficient game of the season off the Houston bench, scoring 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 4-of-7 (57.1%) from three-point range. The Rockets especially needed Gordon’s contributions after starting small forward Danuel House Jr. left the game early with a back contusion.

The Pelicans were led by 24 points from veteran guard J.J. Redick, who hit 7-of-15 (46.7%) from three-point range.

After Monday’s win, the Rockets flew back to Houston, where they will host the Los Angeles Clippers (6-3) on Wednesday. With Kawhi Leonard and potentially Paul George leading the visitors, the Rockets could certainly use House’s athleticism and defensive versatility. In postgame remarks, head coach Mike D’Antoni said House “should be okay,” but did not commit to his immediate availability.

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Davis says shoulder is ‘fine’ and hopes to play Tuesday at Phoenix

Davis added that he won’t know for sure that he will play against the Phoenix Suns until going through shoot around on Tuesday.

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Anthony Davis told reporters after the Los Angeles Lakers first loss in over two weeks that he does feel discomfort in his shoulder fairly often when he’s playing after aggravating it on a block attempt in Sunday’s game against the Toronto Raptors. But come Monday afternoon, Davis was already past his discomfort while also admitting he’s not 100 percent sure he will play Tuesday night against a strong Phoenix Suns group.

Davis told reporters on Monday that he hopes to play Tuesday at Phoenix but won’t make the final call on whether he will play until he goes through shoot around in Phoenix, according to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times.

Davis also suggested that his shoulder is much better than it was when he initially injured it on a missed dunk during the team’s victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Oct. 27, according to Mike Trudell for Lakers.com.

We can forgive Davis for holding saying two disconnecting thoughts at once because it seems like his shoulder is going to be a day-to-day thing as the season goes on, so his outlook on his shoulder will likely vary from one day to the next.

Until Sunday night’s game, Davis had gone quite a while without enduring a shoulder discomfort but it’s been something he’s had to deal with for a long time. He had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder after the 2015-16, but it’s his right one that is currently ailing. Either way, it looks like it will be something he’s going to deal with all season. Sometimes like Monday, it will be simple for Davis. But as Sunday showed, there will be complicated moments as well.

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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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Lonzo Ball ruled out again for Monday’s contest against Rockets

The New Orleans Pelicans will be without starting point guard Lonzo Ball for the second straight game on Monday against Houston.

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For the second-straight contest, Lonzo Ball will be out for the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday as they host the Houston Rockets. Ball continues to be out with an adductor strain, more commonly listed known and listed on the injury report as a groin injury.

Ball suffered the injury last week against the team’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets. After initially playing through the injury in Friday’s loss to the Raptors, Ball sat out Saturday’s game at Charlotte. Ball was held out of practice the week leading up Friday’s game.

Without him, the Pelicans picked up its second win of the season against the Hornets. Ball has been playing well this season, averaging a career-high 11.5 points with 6.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds while shooting a career-best 36.7 percent from three-point range through his first eight games of the season.

After Monday’s contest, the Pelicans will be off until Thursday when they host the Los Angeles Clippers.

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Rockets-Pelicans odds: Houston slight road favorite

Previewing Monday’s Houston Rockets at New Orleans Pelicans odds and lines, with NBA matchup analysis and picks.

The Houston Rockets (6-3) visit the New Orleans Pelicans (2-7) Monday at the Smoothie King Center for an 8 p.m. ET start. We analyze the Rockets-Pelicans odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.

Rockets at Pelicans: Key injuries

Pelicans

  • PG Lonzo Ball (hip) out

Rockets at Pelicans: Odds, lines, picks, and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 9:45 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Rockets 127, Pelicans 120

Moneyline (ML)

The -189 line for the visiting ROCKETS is a bit of a concern given they are 3-2 away from home; however, New Orleans is just 1-3 at home with a penchant for not playing defensively sound.

Can New Orleans stop anyone? It allows nearly 123 points per game and goes up against a Houston team that can easily put up 120-plus points.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Rockets to win outright returns a profit of $5.29. This is a little chalky, but it’s better than risking this on a Pelicans team (+155) that cannot win anywhere – losers of seven of nine games to start the season.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The wiser idea for this contest is taking the ROCKETS with the -3.5 points at -125 odds. A Houston cover here (win by just four or more points) returns a nicer profit of $8.00.

Houston is 2-3 on the road against the spread. New Orleans is 1-3 ATS at home but is five points off of the projections. Houston has covered in its last two games.

Over/Under (O/U)

Lean slightly to the OVER 243.5 (-106). There expects to be a ton of offense as the Pelicans have allowed fewer than 110 points to an opponent just once this year. Houston figures not to be the second.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Chris’ NBA betting record: 19-15

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