New Orleans Pelicans face must-win game, host Detroit Pistons

If the New Orleans Pelicans can’t find a way to beat the Detroit Pistons on Monday evening, it might be hard to find another good chance.

As the season continues to get away from the New Orleans Pelicans, they’ll get a shot to play a Detroit Pistons squad who’s a more comparable opponent than some of the teams’ who’ve clobbered the birds of late.

Tonight’s game is set for a 7 p.m. CT tip-off from the floors of the Smoothie King Center.

Coming into the game, the New Orleans Pelicans are 6-17 and currently rank 14th in the Western Conference standings. Meanwhile, the Pistons ride into the Big Easy with a 9-14 record but sit at the comfortable 9th seed in the East.

After this game against the Pistons, the New Orleans Pelicans schedule for the remainder December gets really tricky.

• At Milwaukee Bucks (12/11), at Philadelphia 76ers (12/13), vs. Orlando Magic (12/15), vs. Brooklyn Nets (12/17), at Minnesota Timberwolves (12/18), at Golden State Warriors (12/20), at Portland Trail Blazers (12/23), at Denver Nuggets (12/25), vs. Indiana Pacers (12/28), end the year hosting the Houston Rockets (12/29).

The way the Pelicans are playing right now, there doesn’t look to be a whole lot of winnable games on that schedule when considering the amount of time between games and the level of competition.

In order to give themselves the best chance to win, Alvin Gentry has to put the ball in the hands of Brandon Ingram.

Over the last few games, the New Orleans Pelicans have looked more towards other scorers, despite the fact that the 6-9 scoring forward continues to play brilliant basketball in New Orleans.

It’ll be a tough test for Pelicans’ bigs, as they battle the towering duo of Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond.

Rookie Jaxson Hayes has struggled to body-up against stronger offensive players so far this season and Jahlil Okafor isn’t anything to write home about on the defensive end.

Listed as questionable but only appearing in nine games so far this season, Derrick Favors is listed as questionable tonight but could go a long way towards tilting this game in the Pelicans’ favor if he can provide a defensive boost, helping to check the Detroit duo.

How to watch Detroit Pistons @ New Orleans Pelicans:

Tonight’s game will be featured on a broadcast from Fox Sports New Orleans, where fans with an appropriate cable package can catch most Pelicans tilts.

However, fans who want access to the game but don’t currently have a package should look into Fubo TV if they want to watch their favorite teams this year.

How to listen to Detroit Pistons @ New Orleans Pelicans:

ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM will have the call of tonight’s action.

Fans outside of New Orleans can subscribe to Tune In premium to hear the New Orleans Pelicans calls all season long.

What to read to get you ready for the action:

Over at Pelican Debrief, Micah Wimmer is wondering if it’s worth kicking the tires on a trade for the All-Star forward Kevin Love.

The Smoking Cuban is breaking down how the Dallas Mavericks led a route of the New Orleans Pelicans in the second half of Saturday’s game.

Read Alvin Gentry’s post-game comments about not becoming the ‘pin cushion’ for the elite teams in the NBA.