Pelicans Soar In New NBA Power Rankings
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The New Orleans Pelicans are a team on the rise. They have won 9 out of their last 11 games and currently rank 2nd in the Western Conference at 15-8. New Orleans has been able to win with a stingy defense which currently ranks 3rd in the NBA for net defensive rating. Even more impressive is the fact they are winning despite injuries to key starters. John Schuhmann posted his latest power rankings on NBA.com and the Pels moved up to No. 4. Here are his thoughts on the Pelicans' rise.
Though the Pelicans got CJ McCollum back from a four-game absence over the weekend, they’ve had their full starting lineup together in just one of their last 10 games. But they’ve won nine of their last 11, with eight of the nine wins coming by double-digits. Over that 11-game stretch, they rank fifth offensively and have had the league’s No. 1 defense, having held their opponents to just 104.8 points per 100 possessions. Improvement from their first 12 games (after which they ranked 15th defensively) has come in opponent field goal percentage in the paint (57.9% vs. 61.0%) and in opponent turnover rate (17.2 vs. 14.7 per 100 possessions).
Jose Alvarado has had something to do with those opponent turnovers and scored a career-high 38 points (in less than 27 minutes off the bench) in a win over Denver on Sunday. Ten of his 12 buckets (including all eight of his 3-pointers) were assisted, and the Pelicans recorded assists on more than 70% of their field goals for the fifth time this season. Zion Williamson has had at least four assists in each of his last five games, dishing out eight in two of the Pelicans’ wins last week. The team’s only single-digit win in this stretch was against Oklahoma City on Monday, when Williamson was making good decisions with the ball throughout the night. After creating the Trey Murphy 3 that put the Pelicans ahead with a little more than a minute to go, he used an Alvarado screen to get to the rim himself. And his game-winning and-1 stood up when Herb Jones drew a charge on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the final seconds.
With their four-game winning streak, the Pelicans are just a game behind the first-place Suns, who they will play three times in the next two weeks. In fact, after they host the Pistons on Wednesday, the Pelicans will play five straight games against Phoenix (x 3) and Utah (x 2), the teams that rank second and third offensively. It will be fascinating to see how their improved defense (they’ve now seen the league’s second-biggest drop in points allowed per 100 possessions from last season) holds up in that stretch.
John Schuhmann on the New Orleans Pelicans
This upcoming stretch will be critical for New Orleans. Six of their next seven games are against teams who made last season's playoffs. It includes three matchups with the Phoenix Suns, who the Pelicans lost to in last year's opening round of the playoffs.
With injuries to Brandon Ingram and Herb Jones, the Pels bench must continue to perform well in their absence. New Orleans has proven to be a deep team, and that depth will continue to be relied upon in the coming games.
Read More Pelicans News:
- Jose's Career Night Leads Pelicans over Nuggets
- Zion, Pelicans Overwhelm Spurs
- Pelicans-Spurs Preview
- Trey Murphy Making All-Star Leap
- Zion Williamson's 100-Game Report Card Has a Big Surprise
- Dyson Daniels Playing Through No-Calls In The Clutch
- Anthony Davis Adds Pelicans Tribute To Christmas Wish List
- Holiday Schedule Set Up For Pelicans To Feast
- Three-Point Threats From Brandon Ingram Prove Lethal
- Zion Williamson, Pelicans Go 'Prehistoric' To Defeat Raptors
- Video: Globetrotter Nate 'Big Easy' Lofton Explains Pelicans Impact On Local Hoops Community
