Top 5 must-see games on the New Orleans Pelicans 2024-25 schedule
By Andy Quach
November 3, 2024 vs. Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are a team with a lot of similarities to the Pelicans. Both teams have a young, established superstar who's expected to be capable of leading a title push. New Orleans has Zion, while the Hawks have Trae Young. Both teams have also failed to meet expectations after making aggressive roster moves in pursuit of a championship-caliber roster.
These two parallel organizations decided to officially marry each other in spirit this past summer when they made one of the most shocking trades of the offseason. The Pelicans sent a hefty package that included two future first-round draft picks, Larry Nance Jr., and Dyson Daniels to Atlanta in return for star guard, Dejounte Murray.
The Hawks originally acquired Murray from the San Antonio Spurs in a trade themselves, in hopes of accelerating the timeline by adding another prolific playmaker beside Trae Young. Unfortunately, that star backcourt failed to raise the Hawks' ceiling, and Atlanta opted to reset the core around Young after just two unremarkable seasons. The Pelicans will be hoping that their own Dejounte Murray trade works out a lot better for them, and Murray will have a great opportunity to show New Orleans that they made the right move by going ballistic against his former team in early November.
November 13, 2024 @ Oklahoma City Thunder
The NBA moves quickly. Not too long ago, the Pelicans were the exciting new team to watch in the Western Conference. This started to shift when the Oklahoma City Thunder toppled New Orleans in the 9-10 matchup in the 2023 Play-In Tournament, ending their season. If that wasn't enough, last year, the torch was officially passed when the Thunder swept the Pelicans in the first round.
New Orleans was, of course, without their best player, Zion Williamson. Still, OKC proved that they were serious title contenders in part by taking care of business against the shorthanded Pelicans. Now the onus is on Zion and company to reclaim their spot in the West hierarchy.
A perfect opportunity to do so will come early on in the season, when the Pelicans head up to Oklahoma City to tip off their season series against the Thunder. Not only would beating Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of OKC's upstart roster help re-establish New Orleans's place among the contenders, it'll also be a bit of revenge for the sweep they were handed in the first round. This game is an obviously juicy matchup, and ESPN will be airing it for the nation to see. Hopefully, everyone will be available for this long-awaited rematch.