Monday’s loss to the Utah Jazz is deflating for this New Orleans Pelicans team.
New Orleans is now five games back of the eighth seed in the West, with only eight games remaining on the schedule. However, that does not mean their matchup tonight versus the Mavericks is meaningless.
Dallas is a game ahead of the Pelicans in the standings. New Orleans final positioning in the standings will increase or decrease the value of their first round pick. That pick is likely heading to Sacramento, barring long shot odds. That means overtaking the Mavs could help remedy not having that pick.