The New Orleans Pelicans received a number of breaks in their schedule. They only face the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder three times a piece. Two of those three games will be on the road but missing two title contenders once each is a blessing. On the flip side they get only three games each against the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers; predicted lottery teams. The schedule is not ideal, but it isn't awful.
The most challenging sections of the schedule occur very early on.