The New Orleans Pelicans have been gifted with an almost entirely inferior slate of Eastern Conference opponents in their season-defining roadtrip. After beginning the trip against the Celtics, they take on New York, Brooklyn, Chicago, and Indiana before returning home against Orlando next week.
Avoiding the top tier of East teams is a blessing for a team finally making strides. Playing a New York Knicks team they’ve already beaten handily once this year is something even better.
In that game, one of the first in which the Pelicans turned fully toward “small ball”, a balanced performance (six players in double figures) won the game for the Pels.