It is not an overstatement to say that the New Orleans Pelicans face a must-win game against the Detroit Pistons.
The Pels are trying to build on their best win of the season and the quickest way to undo any momentum would be to drop another game to the last-place Pistons.
Don’t be fooled by the record, this Detroit team isn’t horrible and they play hard every game, so if the Pels think they can just show up and get a win, they will get whooped like they did the last time these two played and kill all the positives they gained from the win over Boston.
Here are three things that absolutely must happen when the New Orleans Pelicans take on the Detroit Pistons in the Smoothie King Center.
New Orleans Pelicans: The Pels need to blow the Pistons out
The Detroit Pistons are not a good team, in fact, they are the worst team in the Eastern Conference and second-worst overall.
They are also on the second game of a back-to-back while the New Orleans Pelicans have fresh legs after getting two nights off.
This should be a recipe for a Pelicans’ blowout, which would be nice considering they have a back-to-back of their own with the second game being against the Milwaukee Bucks.
It will be tough to beat the Bucks on any night but on the second game of a back-to-back the Pels will definitely be underdogs, which is why they need a blowout.
If they could get Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram some time off in the 4th quarter, it will keep those legs fresh for the Bucks, so the Pels really need to get a big lead and hold it against Detroit.
Come out fast and keep your foot on the gas, Pels.
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.
New Orleans Pelicans: Lonzo Ball and Kira Lewis need to dominate
The Detroit Pistons are without rookie Killian Hayes and point guard Delon Wright, so they will be shorthanded and running out a trio of young point guards.
One of them, Frank Jackson, is very familiar to the Pels, while the other two, Dennis Smith Jr. and Saben Lee, are more unknown.
Smith Jr. tried to punk Kira Lewis Jr. in the last matchup and got away with it, something that cannot happen in the rematch.
Saben Lee has been playing well lately and has the quickness and athleticism to get into the lane, so stopping his dribble penetration will be key.
This should be a game that Lonzo Ball dominates, as he is the best point guard on either team and has a size advantage over all of the Pistons’ guards.
I’d love to see Lonzo establish himself early against the smaller Pistons’ defenders, impose his will and have a huge game.
Lonzo is the wildcard for the Pels, as they usually win when he plays well, so he needs to have a big game against Detroit.
The New Orleans Pelicans can’t allow the Detroit Pistons to steal the momentum they got from the win over Boston. The Pels need to start fast, play intense defense all game and dominate the point guard matchups.