New Orleans Pelicans: 3 things that need to happen vs. Detroit

New Orleans Pelicans: Pels need to play defense for the whole game

The New Orleans Pelicans played some of their best defense of the season in the second half against the Boston Celtics.

Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart were particularly good, flying all over the place and making things difficult on the Celtics’ talented scorers.

The Pels’ defense has been inconsistent to say the least, not just from game to game but often within the same game.

They need a nose to tail effort, meaning the defensive intensity we saw for two quarters against Boston needs to happen for the entire game, not just in spurts.

The Pels still have the 28th ranked defense in the NBA, so defensive consistency and effort will be the things that propel them into the playoff conversation if they are to get there.

The Pels can’t afford to have long lapses against the Detroit Pistons, especially since the Pistons are one of the worst offensive teams in the NBA.

The Pistons can’t shoot 3-pointers at all, so the Pels need to force them to shoot contested shots from long-range and crash the defensive boards to close out possessions.

If the New Orleans Pelicans loaf on defense against this Detroit team, they will get beaten, it’s that simple.