Pelicans Hope To Make Losing Skid Disappear Against Wizards

New Orleans looks to avoid a third straight loss on Monday night when they visit Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards.

Author:
David Grubb
Updated:
Jan 9, 2023 2:27 PM EST

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It isn't necessarily surprising that the New Orleans Pelicans have dropped two in a row considering that they were facing the Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks without some combination of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, and Larry Nance Jr.

However, the Pelicans can't afford to drop games and potentially drop in the standings while they wait for their centerpieces to return to action full time.

New Orleans received some good news on Sunday, when McCollum was removed from the team's injury report and Nance's status was upgraded to probable.

Ingram (left great toe contusion), Williamson (right hamstring strain) remain sidelined.

The Wizards are facing some injury issues of their own. High-scoring guard Bradley Beal (22.9 ppg) will miss his fifth game in his last six with a hamstring strain of his own.

Washington has adapted, winning three of the previous four, including wins over Phoenix and Milwaukee by a combined 48 points.

Without Beal, the Wizards have leaned on their frontcourt. Kristaps Porzingis, Kyle Kuzma, Rui Hachimura, and Daniel Gafford have combined to average 73 points, 27 rebounds, 11.6 assists, and 3.8 blocks over their last five games. They are also getting to the free throw line 16 times per game.

On top of that, Washington has improved its defensive output considerably. During that same five-game stretch, the Wizards are ranked fifth in both defensive rating (108.1) and net rating (7.4).

Meanwhile the Pelicans have slipped to 25th defensively over their past five games, undoubtedly the biggest in the team dropping four of those contests.

New Orleans has had to lean heavily on CJ McCollum and Naji Marshall, who have been the two most consistent players as injuries have piled up.

McCollum has provided scoring and leadership, and Marshall is playing the best basketball of his career. Unfortunately, the Pelicans have not gotten consistent production from anyone else.

Kira Lewis Jr. may be able to inject some life into a stagnant team. Lewis scored 12 points in the loss to Dallas on 4-of-6 shooting while also going a perfect 4-for-4 at the charity stripe.

The Pelicans are going to likely need outsized production from the backcourt once again to offset Washington's advantage inside.

Jonas Valanciunas, Willy Hernangomez, and Jaxson Hayes will have to play better defensively than they have, particularly in keeping Washington off the offensive boards.

This will be the start of another difficult week for the Pelicans, who travel to Boston (28-12), Detroit (11-32), and Cleveland (26-15), before returning home to host Miami next Wednesday.

It's not enough that the Pelicans continue to compete. Their willingness to fight isn't in question, and it's no longer enough for a team with legitimate postseason aspirations. At some point, the Pels have to win some of these games without their "Big Two."

Tonight's as good a time as any.

New Orleans Pelicans (24-16) vs Washington Wizards (17-23)

Time: 6:00 PM CT

Location: Capital One Arena

Watch: Bally Sports NO

Listen: WRNO 99.5FM