Pelicans look to salvage road trip in Toronto

Before starting their current Eastern Conference road trip, the New Orleans Pelicans had been rolling, winners of four straight and five of six.

The Pelicans looked more like a legitimate basketball team before they were smacked in the face by the realities of their second-half collapse against the Memphis Grizzlies and blowout loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

Even after their improvement this month (7-6 in January), the Pelicans are still on pace for just 21 wins, a total that would be tied for second-fewest in franchise history.

Defensive issues remain the most pressing reason the Pelicans have been unable to sustain any success. Relatively speaking, last season was the best defensive season in franchise history. In contrast, this has been the worst.

New Orleans ranks 28th in defensive rating (117.8), 28th in second-chance points allowed (15.4), 29th in both fast break points (18.9) and points in the paint allowed (53.9), and dead last in defensive rebounding percentage (66.9).

There has only been a slight improvement this month, with the Pelicans’ offense covering up the continued struggles getting stops.

On Monday night, New Orleans will have to face a Toronto Raptors squad that has been playing much better lately.

The Raptors are 6-6 in January and have won five of their last six, with home victories over the Warriors, Celtics, and Magic. They return to the Scotiabank Arena on a three-game winning streak after sweeping the Atlanta Hawks in a two-game series.

Their offensive surge has been a team effort, with six Raptors scoring in double figures over those six games, with the versatile Scottie Barnes leading the way. Barnes is averaging 19.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.2 assists during this stretch.

RJ Barrett (19.2 pts, 52.0 3P%) has been doing the heavy lifting from the outside, and Toronto has gotten production inside from Jakob Poeltl (12.5 pts, 9.2 rebs) and Chris Boucher (11.8 pts, 5.2 rebs).

If Dejounte Murray is sidelined again, the burden for running the Pelicans offense will be heavier for Zion Williamson. While Williamson posted an impressive double-double with 28 points and 11 rebounds in just 26 minutes against the Hornets, he was held to a season-low two assists. New Orleans is winless (0-7) when Zion has fewer than five assists this season.

The Pelicans would also like to get Trey Murphy going again. Though he’s averaging 24.0 points per game in January, his outside shooting has fallen off. Since Jan. 14, Murphy is 13-of-48 (.271) from beyond the arc. He’s mitigated those struggles by getting to the free throw line. Murphy ranks 8th in the NBA in free throw attempts per game (7.1) and fifth in makes (6.3) this month.

New Orleans will be looking to avenge their 26-point loss to the Raptors at the Smoothie King Center in November. In that game, Toronto set season-highs in three-pointers made (21) and attempted (52). Neither Williamson nor Murphy played in that loss.

Most Recent Starting Lineups

Charlotte HornetsNew Orleans Pelicans
G – Davion MitchellG – Jordan Hawkins
G – Gradey DickG – CJ McCollum
F – RJ BarrettF – Trey Murphy
F – Scottie BarnesF – Zion Williamson
C – Jakob PoeltlC – Yves Missi

Injuries

Toronto Raptors: Ochai Agbaji (hand), Kelly Olynyk (calf), and Jakob Poeltl (back) are QUESTIONABLE. Immanuel Quickley (hip) is OUT.

New Orleans Pelicans: Dejounte Murray (right elbow bursitis, right index finger sprain) is QUESTIONABLE. Brandon Ingram (left ankle sprain) and Herb Jones (right shoulder strain) are OUT.


Who:  New Orleans Pelicans (12-34) vs Toronto Raptors (13-32)

Season Series:

  • Nov. 24: Raptors def. Pelicans, 119-93
  • Jan. 27: Pelicans at Raptors

Series History: The New Orleans Pelicans are 20-28 all-time against the Toronto Raptors, including 0-1 this season.

Where: Scotiabank Arena

When: Jan. 27, 6:30 PM CST

Where to watch: Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network, Pelicans+

Where to listen: WWL Radio 870 AM

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