New Orleans Pelicans Schedule Breakdown for Season's Final 6 Weeks
Every time they appear to be down for the count, the New Orleans Pelicans get up and keep on fighting.
The team closed out February on a high note, racking up a season-high five consecutive wins, all without MVP candidate Anthony Davis, starting point guard Jrue Holiday and bench anchor Ryan Anderson—three of the team’s top four players.
Atlanta Hawks-style team basketball led by Tyreke Evans, Eric Gordon and Quincy Pondexter helped carry the Pels to a 6-5 record in a month that included eight games against the Eastern Conference. Had the 'Cans been at full strength, it’s likely they would’ve come away with at least two more wins.
The coming 31 days will be an action-packed, 15-game sprint. The busy month could propel New Orleans deeper into the playoff conversation, as seven games will be against low-level competition. However, six of the remaining eight contests are against plus-.500 teams in the West.
And then there is April, during which the Pels hope to play their most meaningful basketball of the year. But first, they have to take care of business in March.
With Davis, Holiday and Anderson all (potentially) returning this month, the Pelicans will look to stay alive in an increasingly tight race for the eighth seed.
New Orleans currently stands at just a half-game behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the final playoff spot. The “S” on Russell Westbrook’s chest is becoming bolder each time he hits the court, but OKC has looked vulnerable without reigning MVP Kevin Durant.
It would be unwise to bet the deed to your house on a Pelicans playoff berth, but don’t chalk up this race as a Thunder victory just yet.
The Pels haven’t folded all year. With a postseason appearance attainable, now isn't the time to start.
Week 1: March 1-7
1 of 7
Key Game: Saturday, Mar. 7 vs. Memphis Grizzlies (7 p.m. ET)
Other Opponents: Denver Nuggets (3/1)*, Dallas Mavericks (3/2) Detroit Pistons (3/4), Boston Celtics (3/6)
It’s been a battle each time New Orleans and Dallas have squared off. The Mavericks won the first two contests by a hair, 109-104 and 112-107, but the Pelicans emerged victorious on Jan. 25, 109-106.
"We talked about how if we can beat a team like this it would be a big step for our program," Pelicans coach Monty Williams said, per The Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "We knew it would be a tough, playoff-type game."
Davis was ruled out for 1-2 weeks on Feb. 22 after re-injuring his right shoulder, so he won't be available against Dallas. Sans AD, stopping Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler will be a sizable task for Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca.
“I’m doing everything I can to get back,” Davis said on Feb. 23, per Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com. “Whenever I feel like I can play again, I’m going to be on the floor.”
If Davis played at full strength, this would be a win for the Pels. But New Orleans will need him down the stretch and, potentially, in the playoffs; therefore, rushing back now could do more harm than good.
The Dallas game is one of five in what will be an exhausting seven-day stretch. After already beating the imploding Denver Nuggets, winnable games at home against the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics still remain on the slate.
A clash with Memphis, the week’s final game, will be the toughest test of all. The 42-16 Grizzlies, who are allowing a league-low 95.7 points per contest, will have the size (Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph) and guard play (Mike Conley, Tony Allen) to clamp down on the Pelicans at every position.
And thanks to Jeff Green, the Grizzlies are strong at the position that’s been New Orleans’ Achilles' heel all year—small forward.
Pondexter, who began the year as a Grizzly, has been extraordinary for the Pels as of late, averaging 21.5 points and four boards in his last two contests prior to the Denver game. But with Allen and Vince Carter, Memphis still has a considerable advantage at the 3.
Holiday’s 23 points, eight assists and two steals carried his team over the Grizzlies, 106-95, on Jan. 9. But that was before they traded for Green and, of course, before the 'Cans were swarmed by injury bugs.
Holiday will be in a walking boot for at least another week before his nagging ankle injury is re-evaluated, per John Reid of NOLA.com.
This time around, Memphis, the all-around better team, should prevail over the undermanned Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center.
Weekly Record: 3-2
*New Orleans defeated Denver 99-92 on Mar. 1.
Week 2: March 8-14
2 of 7
Key Game: Tuesday, Mar. 10 at Brooklyn Nets (7:30 p.m. ET)
Other Opponents: Milwaukee Bucks (3/9)
For some strange reason, New Orleans has played better against much harder competition in the West than it has against the weaker East.
Losses to the likes of the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers have been head-scratchers, but this is the same team that ended the Hawks’ 19-game winning streak in addition to knocking off contenders like the Mavericks, Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers.
If the Pels are to outrace OKC for eighth place, that whole lose-against-bad-teams trend needs to end immediately.
In Week 2 of March, the team will have a great chance to pick up a pair of wins against middle-of-the-road competition from the East.
Prior to hitting the Barclays Center, the Pelicans will pay a visit to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Jason Kidd’s young bunch has undergone a bit of an overhaul with Brandon Knight being shipped out and Michael Carter-Williams coming in at the trade deadline. With MCW in the lineup, the Bucks have gone 1-2 with losses coming against the laughable Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz.
As Milwaukee continues to try to get its chemistry figured out, a jelling New Orleans team will look to take advantage and pick up a relatively easy W.
If Davis is ready, he’ll be drooling over this matchup. The Bucks are allowing 19.2 points and 15.1 rebounds to opposing bigs this season, and are pretty thin in the frontcourt aside from Zaza Pachulia and John Henson.
Also, Ryan Anderson is due back from his MCL sprain in a few weeks, according to NBA.com. He probably won't be available this particular week, but there is a chance he's ready to suit up.
It's hard to imagine a disheveled Milwaukee team stealing one here. One night later, though, the Pels will face a tougher test.
Even without Davis, Holiday and Anderson, NOLA knocked off Brooklyn on Feb. 25, 102-96. It’s fair to assume that at least one of them will be back by Mar. 10, which means that the Pelicans should come away with an easy win.
Well...not so fast.
Brooklyn is in a similar postseason predicament. As of right now, the team sits in ninth place behind the Indiana Pacers, who are awaiting the return of superstar Paul George. The Nets, Charlotte Hornets and Boston Celtics are all within a single game of the final spot.
Every game is as precious to Brooklyn as it is to the Pelicans.
Plus, Deron Williams played poorly in his first bout with New Orleans. When D-Will plays well, the Nets are a playoff team. If he catches fire as he did in Brooklyn’s 104-94 victory over the Mavericks on Feb. 28—25 points (9-14 FG, 4-6 3PT)—this will be a long night for New Orleans.
The Pelicans are still the wise pick here, especially being that they could be welcoming one of the best players in the world back to the starting lineup. Just don’t sleep on Brooklyn.
Having played seven times in 10 days up to this point, the 'Cans are finally able to catch their breath with the next game five days away.
Weekly Record: 2-0
Week 3: March 15-21
3 of 7
Key Game: Thursday, Mar. 19 at Phoenix Suns (10 p.m. ET)
Other Opponents: Nuggets (3/15), Bucks (3/17), Golden State Warriors (3/20)
And back into the fray we go.
Following the lightest week of the month, New Orleans will embark on one of its most difficult road trips of the year.
But first up are rematches with the Nuggets and Bucks—and not much figures to change from the first meetings. The likelihood of having Davis and Anderson is strong for the Pelicans, so these two should be an easier pair of wins than the first.
"[W]e have enough guys to step up and still make that push," Davis, speaking about his team playing without him, said on Feb. 23, per John Reid. "I know they are going to play hard and go out there and compete."
Immediately following the final horn of that game, New Orleans will hit the road for as difficult a stretch as there can be. A night after the Phoenix game, the Warriors, the league’s top team, will host the Pelicans.
Then on Sunday, the Clippers will get their swing at the Pelicans. More about that in the next slide.
If the Pels come away with one win, it must be over the Suns, who are a game-and-a-half back of NOLA for ninth place.
In reality, dropping one to the Warriors is likely. Stephen Curry will have a field day if Holiday, one of the NBA's premier defensive guards, isn't back to slow him down.
Combine a superstar point guard with an elite shooting guard (Klay Thompson) and the best defense in basketball, and there's just too much firepower for the Pels to contain.
But the Thunder will play the Mavericks, Celtics and Hawks during this span. Assuming Dallas or Atlanta prevails, the Pelicans won’t lose a whole lot of ground in the playoff race.
Outshining the Suns is a necessity, though. Phoenix really compromised its playoff chances by dealing both Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas at the deadline, but talk of a total free fall was quieted after the team outdueled OKC, 117-113, on Feb. 26.
To many, this may seem like a two-way sprint between the Thunder and Pelicans. But there are really three horses in this race.
This week’s highlighted matchup will provide New Orleans with a chance to put some much-needed distance between itself and one of those other horses.
Weekly Record: 3-1
Week 4: March 22-29
4 of 7
Key Game: Sunday, Mar. 22 at Los Angeles Clippers (3:30 p.m. ET)
Other Opponents: Houston Rockets (3/25), Sacramento Kings (3/27), Minnesota Timberwolves (3/29)
Picking up where the previous week left off, the Pelicans will be forced to take on another juggernaut in the Clippers.
Chris Paul will perform surgery on NOLA’s 26th-ranked defense if Holiday is still sidelined. Outside of CP3, though, the Pelicans can match up with Los Angeles.
Few have been able to stop DeAndre Jordan on the boards, but Asik and Davis might be able to bring him back down to earth. J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes will have their hands full as Gordon fires from deep and Evans barrels into the paint. Anderson’s ability to score from the block and the three-point stripe will further complicate things.
But the Clippers have a secret weapon in a guy who has absolutely killed the Pelicans his entire career: Austin Rivers, only now he’s in a different uniform.
(That's a joke, people. Relax!)
Knocking off the Clippers is far from a sure thing, but it’s a possibility.
Up next is James Harden and the Houston Rockets—which will, in all likelihood, be a loss for the 'Cans. Who will slow down the MVP front-runner?
The Rockets are all but guaranteed a top-four spot, but they could be closing in on the two-seed by the time this game is played. Dwight Howard might be working his way back into the rotation, too.
That means they’ll be hungrier for a win than usual.
If March was a feast, the Pelicans will have finished off the main course at this point. All that’s left is a delectable dessert—a pair of should-be wins against the Kings and Timberwolves.
NOLA should have no trouble at all smacking around those two bottom-feeders. Fans in attendance can look forward to watching Jimmer Fredette and Jeff Withey dominating the fourth quarter in a blowout.
Weekly Record: 2-2
Week 5: April 1-7
5 of 7
Key Game: Tuesday, Apr. 7 vs. Golden State Warriors (8 p.m. ET)
Other Opponents: Lakers (4/1), Kings (4/3), Portland Trail Blazers (4/4)
If Holiday isn’t back by now, the Pelicans might just be finished. But for argument’s sake, let’s say that he’s back to 100 percent.
New Orleans, even without being at full strength, could handle the Lakers and Kings with relative ease barring some sort of cruel April Fool’s joke.
But after those two games are dates with Damian Lillard’s Blazers and Curry’s Dubs. And that’s no laughing matter.
If Holiday can’t contain the All-Star floor generals, NOLA could very easily begin to let the race slip away to either the Thunder or Suns.
The notable matchup is against Golden State here, but not due to the fact that Curry is better than Lillard. It’s because if the 'Cans slide into the postseason, their opponent will be the league-leading Warriors in the first round.
A victory would be great for the standings, but in an NCAA tournament-sort of way, the quality of this win would hold more weight.
If New Orleans could somehow defeat the Warriors at the Smoothie King Center, the team would head into the first round with some confidence. There would be a glimmer of hope in the collective minds of the Pelicans, even if it’s a faint one, that they could knock off the mighty Dubs.
But if Golden State spanks the Pelicans twice in a matter of weeks (they also will have played on Mar. 20), coach Monty Williams will be hard-pressed to find a source of encouragement to rally his troops.
Heading into a frenzy of a final week, it’s imperative that the Pelicans come away with at least three wins.
Weekly Record: 3-1
Week 6: April 8-15
6 of 7
Key Game: Wednesday, Apr. 15 vs. San Antonio Spurs (8 p.m. ET)
Other Opponents: Grizzlies (4/8), Suns (4/10), Rockets (4/12), Timberwolves (4/13)
It’s finally here—the end of the regular season.
Some teams will have the luxury of cruising to a stop because, one way or another, their fates are already determined. Whether that means they are lottery-bound or locked into a specific playoff seed doesn’t matter that much.
New Orleans won’t have that luxury. This team is going to be diving across the finish line like Ricky Bobby at the end of Talladega Nights.
The Pelicans will see a quartet of contenders in the season’s final sprint, but only one of them figures to be giving their all: the Suns.
New Orleans absolutely, positively can’t lose that game. Unless the Suns are completely out of the picture by this point, which is unlikely, this is an utter must-win for NOLA.
The Grizzlies and Rockets might be vying for a higher spot, but there’s a greater chance that they are more worried about injuries than seeding. With Dwight Howard banged up all year, Houston, more so than Memphis, could be looking to refill its health bar.
If Memphis and Houston go all out, though, New Orleans will be in some trouble.
The T-Wolves will actively be trying to lose their Monday night bout with the Pelicans, which means that the latter should win comfortably and give Minnesota a push towards those ping pong balls.
Some would argue that the Phoenix game should be highlighted this week. But it’s against the Spurs for a reason.
Assuming the Pelicans win one of their final two games with the Suns, the tiebreaker belongs to the former, who defeated the latter 110-106 on Dec. 30.
The Pels also own the tiebreaker with OKC, having gone 3-1 in their regular season series.
A loss to San Antonio could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, but a win might be just enough to open up a playoff spot for New Orleans. All the Pelicans need to do is tie for, not win, eighth place, and it's theirs.
Hopefully for New Orleans, Gregg Popovich sits all his players in anticipation for the playoffs. But that can’t be counted on.
If this is the Pelicans’ most important game of the year, they’ll be in great shape.
Weekly Record: 3-2
Overview of March and April
7 of 7
Record Prediction: 16-8
For a team that’s been like a dog on a leash in regard to the .500 mark all year, going 16-8 in the final six weeks of the year would be big time.
That would put the Pelicans at 47-35, a record well-deserving of a playoff spot. But the problem is that the West is so much better than the East. Teams like the Pels and Suns are playoff-caliber, and would certainly be in if they played in the other conference.
But that’s not for the team to worry about. All Williams should be preaching about is the next game—not the final showdown against the Spurs and not the coming clashes with Phoenix and Golden State. The next game needs to be viewed in that locker room as the biggest of the year.
How soon Davis, Holiday and Anderson return will play a huge role in how things shake out. Without those three, it’s hard to imagine New Orleans continuing to thrive and earning its first berth since the CP3 days.
If all goes according to plan, the Pelicans could be playing meaningful basketball right up until the final horn of the regular season.
And win or lose, that’s something to be proud of.
All stats and standings are accurate as of Mar. 2 courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
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