Lakers vs. Pelicans: Losing Streaks and Lebron's History

New Orleans, La.- The New Orleans Pelicans (26-27) will be looking to snap a franchise-record 10-game losing streak when the Los Angeles Lakers visit this weekend. LeBron James will also flirt with history in looking to surpass Kareem Abdul Jabbar for the NBA’s all-time scoring leader. After a three-game road trip, the Pelicans are looking at a fourth straight game where new Orleans fans are outnumbered but this time in the Smoothie King Center.

The Pelicans fell short in their 10th straight game on Thursday, dropping a 111-106 heartbreak to the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers notched their second consecutive win on Thursday with a 112-111 nailbiter over the Indiana Pacers behind 26 points from James. LeBron is now 63 points away from the all-time record. His career high in a game is 61 points.

New Orleans has made no changes to the team’s injury report since leaving Dallas. Dyson Daniels (right ankle sprain), E.J. Liddell (right knee ACL injury recovery), Dereon Seabron (G League two-way), and Zion Williamson (right hamstring strain) remain listed as out.

Anthony Davis (foot) is listed as probable but Austin Reeves is out. James (ankle), averaging 30.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game while shooting 50.6% from the field, is officially listed as questionable but is expected to be on the court at tip-off for a game that was flexed onto ESPN2.

When: February 4 @ 5 PM CST
Where: Smoothie King Center
Watch: ESPN2, Bally Sports NO
Listen: WRNO 99.5

Willie Green’s squad has slid from the top of the standing to below the NBA Playoff Play-In line in the past few weeks. Brandon Ingram has returned and has seemingly knocked off the rust from a 29-game absence but Zion Williamson is still at least a week away from being available.

“He looked like the Brandon we are all accustomed to seeing night in and night out," Green said after playing Dallas. "Good to see him get his rhythm going. He was attacking. Rebounding the ball. Making good decisions with the basketball. That’s what we need from him. He knows that.”

The stress on CJ McCollum has shown up on the stat sheets. However, the Pelicans have been playing better recently with Ingram back on the court, despite the results. Having Ingram back has helped everyone, especially the younger players. Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones are starting to shoot themselves out of recent slumps.

Against three European-styled MVP candidates (Giannis, Jokic, Doncic), the Pelicans played tough on the most recent road trip through Milwaukee, Denver, and Dallas. Ingram finished with 26 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists against Dallas, knocking down 10 of 20 attempts from the floor.

Larry Nance Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas posted double-doubles. McCollum added 19 points and 8 assists. With a few more lucky bounces and fewer unlucky whistles from the refs, the Pelicans would be better positioned for a postseason run after the All-Star break.

A loss to Lebron would drop the Pelicans to a tie with the Lakers. New Orleans would officially be 12th with a defeat due to head-to-head results with Los Angeles.

Green explained after the loss to the Mavericks, “We have plenty of games left to turn it around. We dug ourselves a hole. We have to climb out of it.”

The challenge of leaping back into the win column starts with a Mount Rushmore-sized obstacle in LeBron James. Can the Pelicans pull out a win or will the home fans be left waiting until tomorrow's back-to-back set with the Sacramento Kings?

Expected Starting Lineups:

Lakers: Dennis Schroder, Patrick Beverley, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Anthony Davis

Pelicans: CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy, Brandon Ingram, Jonas Valanciunas

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