The New Orleans Pelicans got off to one of the hottest starts of any NBA team this season, and were in first place in the Western Conference as late as December 12th. But they’ve fallen on hard times as the calendar has turned over to 2023, and the Pels now find themselves tied for 9th and in danger of slipping out of playoff range.
It happened thanks to a double-digit losing streak. From January 16th until February 2nd, the Pelicans lost ten games in a row, many of them blowouts. Once sitting strong with a 23-13 record, they dipped below .500 for the first time all season with their loss to the Mavericks this past Thursday.
Williamson Injury Could Be To Blame For New Orleans Pelicans
It doesn’t help that their best player has been out with an injury the entire time. Zion Williamson was averaging 26 points and 7 rebounds per game on the season before experiencing a right hamstring strain, one that has kept him out since January 2nd. The ailments are nothing new for Williamson, but they’ve obviously affected his team’s performance.
It isn’t just the ten-game losing streak, either. After winning five in a row in late December, the Pelicans have won just 4 of their last 19 games since New Year’s Eve, when they were a half-game out of first place in the West.
Thankfully for New Orleans, one of those four victories came rather recently, as they were able to snap their prolonged skid by grabbing a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night. They trailed for much of the game, and it looked as though the losing streak would continue on the first night of a dreaded back-to-back. But behind Brandon Ingram’s 35 points and CJ McCollum’s 23, the Pelicans were able to rally for a much-needed victory to help get them back in the win column.
New Orleans still has a serious hole to dig out of. They are still in playoff position, but they’d be one of the bottom two teams in the play-in tournament if the season ended today, a far cry from where they were five weeks ago. When exactly Williamson will return is still up in the air, but it is safe to say that the Pelicans need him back sooner rather than later.
They’ll look to add some momentum this evening as they will take on the Sacramento Kings, who they themselves will be without their star player. De’Aaron Fox will miss the game due to person reasons, and the third-place Kings are favored by just 1 point.
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