Pelicans success this season will live and die on Nikola Mirotic
By Joshua Lea
The New Orleans Pelicans fanbase is breathing a sigh of relief following the teams 108-89 win versus Boston. Now begins a tough week for NOLA.
The New Orleans Pelicans came through on a must win against the Boston Celtics. Now, they are in the middle of a three-way tie with Utah and San Antonio at 40-30. There are 12 games left in the regular season and the Pels will play four of those games this week. Of course, this marks the makeup game with Indiana which will result in a back-to-back-to-back on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
The teams the Pels will play this week is split between two above 500 teams in Indiana on Wednesday and Houston (again) on Saturday. The two remaining teams are below 500 in Dallas on Tuesday and the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
The Pelicans must either go 3-1 or 2-2 during this stretch of games. This type of stretch is going to test the will and determination of the Pels. They’ll have to rely heavily on players not named Anthony Davis to chip in and deliver extra effort to help win games.
Who has to step up for the New Orleans Pelicans?
One player that will make or break the Pels is Nikola Mirotic. He has to play well this week. Mirotic has a direct effect on the Pelicans wins and losses. When he scores 10 points or more, the Pelicans are 12-2. When Mirotic fails to score at least 10 points the Pelicans are 0-5.
So, to anyone thinking the Pelicans don’t need DeMarcus Cousins, who was injured prior to Mirotic’s arrival. You’re wrong. You simply cannot put everything on the shoulders of Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday.
They need Mirotic to score, Rajon Rondo has to be the floor general and move the ball. Everyone must play to their strength in order to ensure that this week doesn’t become the Pelicans undoing. Mirotic is the key, he’s the guy that has to elevate his game to score consistently. The Pelicans will need the third-year product of Yugoslavia if they expect to make the playoffs.
The Western Conference Playoff picture still being developed
One thing to keep in mind is Portland is rolling winning their last 13 games. Oklahoma City looks as if they’ve figured things out winning six in a row including a victory in Toronto 132-125. Utah has won nine in a row and is in the fifth seed.
San Antonio continues to wait for Kawhi Leonard to return to the floor. He will miss tonights clash with the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors are battling the injury bug as Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Stephen Curry all are hurt.
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New Orleans will see a handful of playoff teams before the season officially ends April 11th. Those teams include Indiana and Houston this week. Portland and Cleveland will be two important games for the Pels to close out the month of March. The month of April brings OKC, LAC and the Spurs on the last game of the season. It could mean that the Pels and Spurs game could determine if New Orleans makes the playoffs or not.
I cannot stress enough how important it is for the Pels to play well over the next 12 games. Now, it would be foolish to think the Pelicans could cruise to a 12-0 record. However, 9-3 or 10-2 is a safe record for the Pelicans to maintain a top seed in the playoffs.
If the playoffs started today, NOLA would be on a collision course with the Portland Trailblazers. The Pelicans currently lead the season series with Portland 2-0 with one more matchup coming on the 27th of March.
Next: Bench plays strong, Pelicans beat Celtics
Tomorrow is the first of a back-to-back-to-back with the Pelicans as they’ll face the Dallas Mavericks. Starting this series of games off with a win is going to be critical for the New Orleans Pelicans.