Game Preview: New Orleans Pelicans vs. Portland Trailblazers
The New Orleans Pelicans take to the road on Monday night after a successful two game home stand that saw them demolish two teams that are vastly inferior to the playoff hopeful Pelicans. Now comes a stretch of two back-to-back’s with two teams with the potential to be playoff caliber and two teams that look lottery bound to test yet again just how good the Pelicans really are. It starts with a game in Portland tonight against one of the best offensive teams in the NBA, the Portland Trailblazers.
For the Pelicans, Monday night starts with a defense that hasn’t been consistently good this season. The team has had their moments, like in games against the Grizzlies and Timberwolves but at the moment it still ranks 13th in the NBA in defensive efficiency with a 102.8 rating. The biggest breakdowns have come on the perimeter where Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans and the Pelicans bench wings have struggled to stay in front of anyone. Anthony Davis and Omer Asik have bailed those guys out enough to make things work but it is becoming a troubling trend. Luckily for the Pelicans an average defense may be all they need this season. The offense is finally starting to resemble the elite unit we expected entering this season, especially on Friday when they set all kinds of franchise records while destroying the Wolves. Anthony Davis has been the leader with 24.5 points but almost everyone who checks into the game has contributed for New Orleans this season. Except Eric Gordon, he has just been bad.
For Portland scoring with New Orleans won’t be much of a problem. The Blazers rank fourth in offensive efficiency this season with a 109.2 rating, just a spot behind the Pelicans 110.7. The flow system that the Blazers run allow for a multitude of options on every possession, from Damian Lillard attacks and threes to LaMarcus Aldridge mid-range jumpers, the Blazers consistently produce clean looks. Even when they do miss Robin Lopez is around to clean things up as he has averaged 3.3 offensive rebounds per game this year. Defensively is where things are changing for the Blazers. Right now Portland ranks tied for seventh in defensive efficiency a season after finishing 16th. The biggest difference seems to be continuity as the team’s rotations look crisper than they ever have before. If the defensive improvements are real the Blazers look like a lock to make the playoffs.
When and where: 9 pm CT at the Moda Center in Portland
How to watch: The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports New Orleans
Injury report:
New Orleans: None.
Portland: LaMarcus Aldridge is sick and is questionable. Nicolas Batum is questionable with a knee injury.
Probable starting lineups:
New Orleans: PG Jrue Holiday, SG Eric Gordon, SF Tyreke Evans, PF Anthony Davis, C Omer Asik
Portland: PG Damian Lillard, SG Wes Matthews, SF Nicolas Batum, PF LaMarcus Aldridge, C Robin Lopez
Other players to watch:
New Orleans: Ryan Anderson, Austin Rivers
Portland: Chris Kaman, Steve Blake, Allen Crabbe, Myers Leonard
Things to watch:
Who wins the rebounding battle?
The Blazers are third in the NBA in total rebounding rate right now, bringing in 52.4 percent of all available rebounds. The Pelcians meanwhile sit at 14th at 50.1 percent. If the Pelicans can win the rebounding battle, which would keep the Blazers from getting extra shots, they stand a great chance of winning. If they can’t it will be hard as that means extra threes for the Blazers who are an elite shooting team. The biggest battle will be between Asik and Lopez, this is the type of game the Pelicans added Asik for, now will he come through?
Can the Pelicans protect the three-point line?
The Pelicans rank ninth in the NBA by holding opponents to 31.8 percent shooting from behind the three-point line. The Blazers rank third in the NBA in three-point percentage at 39 percent. This is a match-up of strengths and if the Pelicans can run the Blazers off the three-point line it takes away a massive part of their offense. With Omer Asik and Anthony Davis waiting to protect the rim forcing the Blazers inside is going to be important for New Orleans. If one guy gets hot for Portland it could swing the game.
Aldridge vs. Davis
There are a group of NBA fans out there that think LaMarcus Aldridge is better than Anthony Davis. At this point that doesn’t seem true but tonight will be a good chance for Davis to prove it. He should make life for Aldridge really tough thanks to his length and athleticism. Aldridge is an elite mid-range shooter but if Davis can continue to make jumpers hard and attack the way he has on offense it could be a changing of the guard game for many casual fans.