New Orleans Pelicans: Preview of home opener vs. the 76ers

It is no surprise that both of the New Orleans Pelicans and Philidelphia 76ers’ All-Stars will not be participating in Wednesday’s matchup in the Smoothie King Center. Zion Williamson will be out due to his right foot and Ben Simmons for the 76ers will be out due to his one-game suspension from the organization.

New Orleans Pelicans and Philadelphia 76ers in preseason

The Pelicans went 1-3 in their preseason stint. It was a rocky start which had fans scratching their heads a little bit about how legit this young Pels’ team can be. On the bright side, Trey Murphy III lit it up beyond the arc shooting just over 53 percent. The rookies seemed to be promising throughout.

On the other hand, the Philidelphia 76ers went 2-2 in the preseason with their All-Star and MVP candidate Joel Embiid not playing throughout a majority of the games. With him on the court, it will for sure be a difference-maker that will give the Sixers the advantage down low.

This Season

New Orleans and Philidelphia play two games in the season this year, Wednesday at home in New Orleans and the other being on December 19th in Philadelphia.

History

The history between the Pelicans and Sixers is relatively fair. Philidelphia has a 20-19 series lead over the Pelicans. Most recently, Philidelphia beat New Orleans on May 7, 2021. Joel Embiid dominated this game putting up 37 points and 13 rebounds. For the Pelicans, Jaxson Hayes led the team with 19 points and 8 rebounds.

In the playoffs, the Sixers have a 4-2 lead over the Pelicans. Back in 2003, The Sixers and New Orleans Hornets faced off in the Eastern Conference first round. The Hornets/Pelicans got their only two wins in Game 3 and Game 5.

It will be critical to see how this team can play without Zion Williamson and how the adjustments will be made to stop someone like Joel Embiid. New Orleans will need players like Jonas Valančiūnas, Devonte’ Graham, and Brandon Ingram to play well to start the NBA’s 75th season 1-0.