Pelicans Must Beat Trail Blazers to Stay Ahead of Spurs
The New Orleans Pelicans (35-44, 9th Western Conference) are returning home from a four-game road trip with the NBA Playoffs Play-In spot secured. The site of the upcoming winner-take-all play-in game against the Spurs is undetermined. New Orleans still needs a win over the Portland Trail Blazers (37-52, 13th) to stay ahead of the San Antonio Spurs for the right to host the play-in contest at Smoothie King Center.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. New Orleans Pelicans
- When: April 6, 2022 @ 7:00 PM CT
- Where: Smoothie King Center
- How To Watch/Listen: Bally Sports NO, ESPN 100.3FM New Orleans
Mar 30, 2022; Portland, Oregon, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (3) drives to the basket during the first half against Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Williams (8) at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Expected Starting Lineups:
New Orleans Pelicans: CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones, Jaxson Hayes, Jonas Valanciunas
Portland Trail Blazers: Kris Dunn, Keon Johnson, CJ Elleby, Drew Eubanks, Greg Brown
Portland has its eyes on the NBA Draft lottery odds. That’s why it's unlikely Josh Hart (knee) will return to suit up and spoil the evening for his former teammates.
CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram have led New Orleans to wins in four of the last five games since returning from stints on the injury report. The pairing are both Top 25 scorers and will need to lead the Pelicans against a short-handed Trail Blazers squad. Portland has lost three straight but the Pelicans might be without Jonas Valancuinas (ankle, questionable) for the second straight game.
Most of Portland’s starting lineup will be sidelined. Nassir Little (shoulder), Anfernee Simons (knee), Jusuf Nurkic (foot), Damian Lillard (abdominal), Trendon Watford (knee), Joe Ingles (knee), Justise Winslow (calf), and Eric Bledsoe (Achilles) are all ruled out. Brandon Williams (quad) is day-to-day.
McCollum and Ingram have been making things easier by getting to the free-throw line. New Orleans is third-best in getting to the free-throw line per 100 possessions in the last 15 games. They make things tougher by converting only 78.8%, good for 17th overall.
Most importantly perhaps is New Orleans being one of the toughest teams to play recently. They lead the league in steals per 100 possession since March 8. The Pelicans also grab the fourth-most offensive rebounds (12.7) per game. Generating those second-chance points is a big part of the offense and the Pelicans need all the scoring they can find.
Their starting unit has been elite but the reserve unit has been inconsistent over larger sample sizes. The good news is Devonte' Graham, Trey Murphy III, and Larry Nance are starting to find provide more of a spark off the bench.
Willie Green will want to refine his rotation going into the play-in game but has to keep his top-end talent refreshed for the stretch run. There can be no letting up until a home game versus the Spurs is secured. Thankfully the schedule is allowing some of the guys to knock off rust or get refreshed. And there is still hope Zion Williamson can provide further reinforcements, perhaps as soon as the nationally-broadcast trip to Memphis.
Coach Green is not looking that far ahead. He knows what a home game against San Antonio would mean to the city. Though the Pelicans are one game better in the standings, the Spurs are 3-1 in the season series and hold the tiebreakers.
Green and the Pelicans having home-court advantage would have a positive impact going against Greg Popovich. That's why he's taking things a game at a time — but they must first defeat Portland.
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