New Orleans Pelicans: 3 storylines to watch against the New York Knicks

The New Orleans Pelicans will look to continue their play-in tournament push when they take on the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

The Pelicans are coming into the game at the Smoothie King Center off the back of a grueling schedule. By the time this contest comes to an end, Stan Van Gundy’s team will have played nine games in 15 days.

To further complicate things, it’s not like the schedule will get any easier in terms of rest for the Pels. New Orleans has a middle-of-the-pack schedule when it comes to opponent strength for the remainder of the regular season, but their most important foe will arguably be fatigue.

We have seen the effects of this in recent memory. Look no further than Jamal Murray’s tragic knee injury which he suffered during the closing moments of the Denver Nuggets’ last game. Murray will be out for the rest of the season and there are many within NBA conversations pointing the finger at the packed schedule. But even with the Pelicans, the team has been hit with a barrage of injuries over the past month.

The Pels will not be able to count on Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Josh Hart, maybe James Johnson, and most likely Lonzo Ball against the Knicks. Meanwhile, the Knicks will be without center Mitchell Robinson—out indefinitely with a fractured foot—and probably John Henson.

The Knicks have been one of the feel-good stories in the NBA this season. After years of mediocrity (or worse depending on who you ask), New York is currently eighth in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks have a legit chance of making it to the playoffs this season and a lot of the merit for that belongs to new head coach Tom Thibodeau.

With that being said, here are three things to watch when the Pelicans play the Knicks.