Shorthanded Pelicans Try to Avoid 3-Game Skid As They Face T-Wolves

The New Orleans Pelicans, losers of two straight and already without two of their top four scorers from a season ago (CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy III), head to Minnesota for the second game of their three-game road trip knowing that Zion Williamson will be unavailble as they take on a formidable Timberwolves squad.

Herb Jones is listed as questionable after suffering a right fibula contusion in the game against the Nuggets.

Williamson, out for personal reasons, was coming off one of his better statistical performances of the early season. He nearly posted a triple-double (20 pts, 10 reb, 9 ast) against the Nuggets, though he shot below 50% from the floor for the third time this season, and attempted a season-low one free throw.

So tonight a greater burden falls on the rest of the team with the daunting task of taking on a Minnesota team that already has early-season victories over the defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, defending World Champion Denver Nuggets, and the Boston Celtics.

The Pelicans have stuggled over their last five games, going 2-3 over that stretch. The three losses have been by an average of 21.3 points.

Defense, last season’s calling card, has become an afterthought; but the team’s problems are many and across the board.

During this most recent stretch, the Pelicans rank 29th in defensive rating and net rating. The team that stated its goal of leading the league in assists, ranks 20th in assist percentage. They are 16th in offensive rebounding percentage, dead last in defensive rebounding percentage, 25th in EFG%, 18th in pace, and though the Pelicans aren’t giving up a lot of threes, they are getting destroyed inside, giving up 54 points in the paint each night, and more than 18 second chance points.

Meanwhile, the Timberwolves have won three straight by an average of 18 ppg. They’re shooting the ball well (51.0% FG, 36.6% 3P) and they’re getting to the free throw line (27.7 FTA).

If Anthony Edwards isn’t a superstar in the NBA, he’s a close as it gets. This season, the 22-year old former No. 1 overall pick is posting career-highs nearly across the board. He’s averaging 28.2 pts, 6.7 reb, 4.8 assists on 52.0% shooting (47.2 3P%, 82.8 FT%).

All five starters are scoring in double figures, and Naz Reid has become an even bigger force off the bench after re-upping with Minny this offseason.

Former Pelicans assistant Chris Finch has his team on the rise, and the Pelicans will have to be at their absolute best tonight to give themselves a chance.

Keys to Victory

1. Total team effort. The Pelicans have gotten big nights from players like Jordan Hawkins, Matt Ryan, but it’s been rare for New Orleans to get consistent performers from its best players on a nightly basis so far this season. Even more shorthanded than they were a week ago, the Pelicans have to maximize what they do have on the roster and everyone is going to have to take it up a notch on both sides of the floor. Especially on the glass.
2. Show up in the second half. The New Orleans Pelicans are not a good second half team. They have been the worst third quarter team in the league by far, with a net rating of -36.0 coming out of the break. New Orleans is only slightly better in the fourth, ranking 29th in the NBA with a -18.5 net rating. Whatever is going on during the intermission has to change immediately.
3. All eyes on BI. Brandon Ingram continues to be an enigmatic player for the Pelicans. His talent is documented and he has had stretches of brilliance. However, Ingram also disappears at times and seems to be fighting to find his place on the court. Individually, no player in the Pels’ main rotation has a worse individual net rating than BI’s -14.2. His defense and passing have both regressed from a season ago. Ingram has to assert himself against the Timberwolves and play at an All-Star level tonight.
4. Keep it moving. The Pelicans are down more than two assists per game from a year ago. That wasn’t supposed to happen for an offense now more predicated on ball and player movement. When the Pelicans are stationary, they are easy to defend. The shots get more difficult and the ball ends up with the wrong player out of scoring position. New Orleans has to be active on both ends and communication must improve as well.
5. Rock with the Rook. Jordan Hawkins is coming off the best performance of his young career after posting 31 points with seven three-pointers against Denver. He’s shown no hesitancy since joining the starting lineup, averaging 15.3 pts, 4.8 reb, 2.3 ast, 1.3 stls, and only 1.0 turnovers in his four games as a starter. His 20 three-pointers are a team-high. His continued development will be a major factor in the Pelicans’ success the rest of the season, but for now, the team just needs to keep feeding him.

Probable Starting Lineups

New Orleans Pelicans (vs MIN last season)	Minnesota Timberwolves (vs NOP last season)
G – Jordan Hawkins (N/A)	G – Mike Conley Jr. (17.0 pts, 7.0 ast)
G – Brandon Ingram (27.5 pts, 8.5 reb, 11.1 3P%)	G – Anthony Edwards (30.0 pts, 8.3 reb)
F – Matt Ryan (N/A)	F – Jaden McDaniels (9.7 pts, 42.9 3P%)
F – Larry Nance Jr. (3.0 pts, 2.0 reb)	F – Karl-Anthony Towns (30.0 pts, 8.0 reb)
C – Jonas Valanciunas (12.7 pts, 13.7 reb)	C – Rudy Gobert (9.7 pts, 7.7 reb, 1.7 blk)

Injuries

New Orleans Pelicans: Jose Alvarado (right ankle sprain), Naji Marshall (right knee contusion), CJ McCollum (right lung), Trey Murphy III (left knee partial meniscectomy), and Zion Williamson (personal reasons) are OUT; Herbert Jones (right fibula contusion) is questionable

Minnesota Timberwolves: None

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Who: New Orleans Pelicans (4-3) vs Minnesota Timberwolves (4-2)

Series history: Pelicans lead all-time 37-34, Minnesota won 2-1 in 2022-23

Where: Target Center

When: November 8, 7:00 PM CT

Where to watch: Bally Sports New Orleans

Where to listen: WRNO 99.5

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