ORLANDO – It was only one game in late October, but New Orleans’ previous meeting against Orlando served as a microcosm for some of the issues that have plagued the Pelicans in the two months since then. New Orleans (15-16) committed 19 individual turnovers and allowed Orlando (11-21) to sink 16 three-pointers, two costly categories in a 115-99 Magic road win. The Pelicans rank in the bottom tier of the NBA in defending three-pointers, particularly against opposing bigs, and Magic backup center Mo Speights capitalized on that weakness by sinking six treys.
Friday’s visit to Orlando’s Amway Center is a chance to for New Orleans to show improvement in those critical areas, while facing a Magic team that likely will not have the same weapons available this time.