NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Pelicans return home to the Smoothie King Center licking their wounds and tending to their wounded.
The Pelicans are without four of their top six players after injuries to Herb Jones and CJ McCollum. They join Dejounte Murray and Trey Murphy on the sidelines, severely hampering an already dysfunctional offense.
New Orleans could also be without reserve shooter Jordan Hawkins, rookie big Yves Missi, and starting center Daniel Theis. However, the NBA schedule doesn’t pause. There’s another game to play against an opponent that isn’t concerned with whatever difficulties the Pelicans are facing.
Brandon Ingram said all of the right things following Wednesday night’s blowout loss to the Warriors.
“We’re limited on guys…Just gotta figure it out, keep building,” Ingram said. “We gotta tighten up the screws. We can’t have a lot of error right now. We gotta tighten up.”
Most of that responsibility falls on the shoulders of Ingram and Zion Williamson. Neither has played particularly well during the team’s three-game losing streak. Williamson has more games shooting below 40 percent this season (3) than he’s had previously in his entire career (2).
The remedy for both appears to be doing the opposite of what they’ve been doing. Williamson needs to slow down and Ingram needs to speed up.
“We’ve just got to find our rhythm, especially me offensively. I’ve just got to make it happen. I don’t put it on nobody else. I take full responsibility, ” Zion said Wednesday. “Last game, I had more success because I was more patient. Tonight, I was forcing the issue.”
“Force” is a buzz word around the Pelicans, a favorite of head coach Willie Green. The Pelicans have not played with any degree of it over the last four games. If they don’t find the elusive rhythm, they’ll start this home stand with a loss to the Indiana Pacers, a team more than capable of exploiting their many weaknesses.
It’s gut check time for the Pelicans. It’s one thing to lose, it’s another to get beaten.
Most Recent Starting Lineups
| Indiana Pacers | New Orleans Pelicans |
| G – Tyrese Haliburton | G – Jose Alvarado |
| G – Andrew Nembhard | G – Jordan Hawkins |
| F – Aaron Nesmith | F – Brandon Ingram |
| F – Pascal Siakam | F – Zion Williamson |
| C – Isaiah Jackson | C – Daniel Theis |
Injuries
New Orleans Pelicans: Jordan Hawkins (lower back spasms), Yves Missi (abdomen), and Daniel Theis (ankle) are QUESTIONABLE. Herbert Jones (right shoulder strain), CJ McCollum (right adductor soreness), Trey Murphy III (right hamstring strain), and Dejounte Murray (left hand fracture) are OUT.
Indiana Pacers: Andrew Nembhard (knee) and Myles Turner (ankle) are QUESTIONABLE. James Wiseman (Achilles) is OUT.
Who: New Orleans Pelicans (2-3) vs Indiana Pacers (2-3)
Season Series:
- Nov. 1: Pelicans vs Pacers
- Nov. 25: Pacers @ Pelicans
Series History: The Pelicans are 20-28 all-time vs the Indiana Pacers all-time. The teams have split their series in each of the last four seasons, and the Pelicans have won three straight against Indiana at the SKC.
Where: Smoothie King Center
When: Nov. 1, 7:00 PM CT
Where to watch: Pelicans+, GCSEN
Where to listen: WWL Radio 870 AM
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