The New Orleans Pelicans got a much-needed win on the road vs. the Detroit Pistons to end a stretch of six games in nine days.
It was the end of a third-straight back-to-back, and the Pels got down early, so it would have been easy to pack it in and take their 5th loss in a row.
But the Pelicans stayed within striking distance behind the return of Brandon Ingram, who had missed the previous five games.
Ingram hit an array of tough shots to keep the Pelicans close before they were able to come back in the 3rd quarter and eventually win it in the 4th.
New Orleans got another strong defensive effort, and used their size advantage to dominate the boards for second-chance points.
Jose Alvarado hit some timely shots and Herb Jones did a little of everything in the win.
It was a game the Pelicans should have won, as Detroit is a bad team, but with Brandon Ingram back, it could be a turning point in the season.
The New Orleans Pelicans schedule
The Pelicans schedule looks a little better in February after a brutal January that ended with all of those back-to-backs.
New Orleans will finish their road trip against the Nuggets and Rockets before returning home to play the Rockets again.
The Pelicans played the Nuggets close in their last matchup without Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas, so that is a game they can win at full strength.
Same with the two against the Rockets, who are the worst team in the Western Conference and have lost four straight.
They then stay at home for another five games, playing the Heat, Spurs, Raptors, Grizzlies and Mavericks, definitely no gimmes there but New Orleans has played much better at home.
There are some positive signs that wins are coming.
Turning close losses into wins
I have to give Willie Green credit, even with all of the injuries, he has his team playing hard and staying close in nearly every game.
New Orleans was winning or close in all of the four losses they suffered without Ingram, games that they very likely would have won if he had been in there.
The defense has been playing well of late and New Orleans has moved up to 17th overall in points allowed per game. They have let up only 100.3 over their last four games, so their defense has been playing well enough to win.
Their shooting has been atrocious, especially from long range, as the Pels were mired in a team-wide slump where they shot just 19 percent from 3-point range over four games.
Having their leading scorer back should help ease some of those offensive woes, so if New Orleans can continue to give high-level defensive efforts, they should be able to turn some of those close losses into wins.
The New Orleans Pelicans could add talent
The NBA trade deadline is approaching and the Pelicans are expected to be buyers according to many reports.
They could make a low-level trade for some bench depth and shooting, which they desperately need, or they could make a splashy move with some of their young players and draft assets.
CJ McCollum has been mentioned as a possibility recently, and count me in depending on the cost, as he would add a reliable scoring option who could slide right into the starting lineup, push Graham or Hart to the bench and help the Pels’ overall depth issues.
Whether it is a bench trade or a big move, the Pelicans will almost certainly add some talent before the trade deadline, which should help their chances of finishing strong.
Of course, this team has given fans hope before only to start losing again, but it does feel like they are ready to go on a run, so hopefully we’ll see some consistent winning in the near future.