CHARLOTTE – It’s been a good week for the New Orleans Pelicans. It started on Monday with a convincing win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, holders of the best record in the NBA, behind a season-high 36 points from Zion Williamson.
Wednesday, Brandon Ingram broke out with a season-high 40 points and Trey Murphy III went 6-of-7 from way beyond the arc in a rout of the Washington Wizards.
Though Williamson is questionable once again with an ankle injury, the Pelicans have a chance to extend their modest win streak to three games with a victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
New Orleans is in the second game of a three game road trip, all against teams well under .500. The Pelicans sit ninth in the Western Conference, but remain just two games behind Oklahoma City for the third spot.
This is a critical trip for the Pels, who cannot experience a letup against a struggling and injured Hornets team. Charlotte has lost four of its last five and is 4-8 in the Spectrum Center this season.
The Hornets are really bad defensively, ranking 26th in points allowed (120.8 ppg) and 29th in Defensive Rating (121.3).
Tonight, the Pelicans have to take care of business early, get the starters some solid minutes, and leave the arena looking for a clean sweep on Sunday in San Antonio.
Keys to the Game
BI Leads the Way. Brandon Ingram has been very good against the Hornets during his career, and no better than in his last two games. BI has nearly averaged a triple double with 29.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 8.5 assists while making only 2.5 turnovers. Though he has had difficulty with the three pointer lately (12-for-41 over last 11 games), Ingram has been utilizing his mid-range jumper and getting to the free throw line much more often. BI has five games (4-1) with eight or more free throw attempts during this 11-game stretch, after having only two such games over his first 11 (0-2). An aggressive BI is a much more effective BI.
Bombs away with Trey. Trey Murphy III had been waiting for that game since returning from offseason knee surgery. Wednesday he had the game that let the NBA know that he was back. Playing a season-high 32 minutes, Trey scored 27 points on 10 shot attempts, including a ridiculous 6-for-7 from deep. And they were indeed from deep.
Murphy is averaging 7.4 attempts from three-point range per game since his return, up from his 6.3 attempts last season. Over the last two seasons, the Pelicans are 25-10 when Trey attempts at least seven threes. After his explosion on Wednesday, he’s shooting a career-high 43.2%. TM3 has made the most of his attempts inside the line, posting a career-best 65.0 FG% on two pointers.
Jonas in the Middle. There are so many talented scorers on the Pelicans roster that it is often easy to overlook the contributions of Jonas Valanciunas. In another season where he’s the only legitimate big in the main rotation, JV has come to play every night and made the most of his touches. He collected his 12th double-double of the season against the Wizards with 16 points and a season-high 18 rebounds. The Pelicans are 8-4 when Jonas posts a double-double, 6-7 when he doesn’t. He has 57.5% of his blocks and 57.6% of his assists in those games. His limitations are what they are, but his skill set is still vital to the Pelicans’ success right now.
Most Recent Starting Lineups
| New Orleans Pelicans | Charlotte Hornets |
| G – CJ McCollum | G – Terry Rozier |
| G – Dyson Daniels | G – Brandon Miller |
| F – Herbert Jones | F – Gordon Hayward |
| F – Brandon Ingram | F – Miles Bridges |
| C – Jonas Valanciunas | C – Nick Richards |
Injuries
New Orleans Pelicans: Larry Nance Jr. (right rib fracture) and Matt Ryan (right elbow surgery) are Out. Zion Williamson (left ankle sprain) is Questionable.
Charlotte Hornets: LaMelo Ball (ankle), Cody Martin (knee), Frank Ntilikina (fractured left leg) are Out. PJ Washington (shoulder) is Questionable. Mark Williams (back) is Doubtful.
Who: New Orleans Pelicans (14-11) at Charlotte Hornets (7-15)
Season Series:
- Dec. 15: Pelicans at Hornets
- Jan. 17: Hornets at Pelicans
Where: Spectrum Center
When: Dec. 15, 6:00 PM CT
Where to watch: Bally Sports New Orleans
Where to listen: WRNO 99.5
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BI has done anything but “lead the way”… Ball hoggery, phantom defense, turnovers. C’mon, man
BI totally playing for personal stats so far..and its working..so far through 3 quarters he has 8 turnovers.
Big game from Scar. Like to see more games like that. Dyson defense will not show up in stats but tonight was big.
BI…very inconsistent.