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Behind the Numbers presented by Entergy: Pelicans at Raptors (12/23/20)

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A look at three key numbers related to Wednesday’s game at Amalie Arena in Tampa between New Orleans and Toronto (6:30 p.m. Central, Fox Sports New Orleans, ESPN New Orleans 100.3 FM):

9, 19: NBA.com “continuity rankings” for Toronto and New Orleans, respectively, a statistic that measures roster turnover from season to season. Indiana ranks No. 1 in the NBA in that category, with 98 percent of Pacers minutes from 2019-20 going to players who remain on their roster. Toronto comes in at ninth (77 percent), while New Orleans is 19th (62 percent). Relatively speaking, that means most fans should be fairly familiar with the Raptors, despite the fact that they did lose key veterans Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol in free agency to the Los Angeles teams in the offseason. Pascal Siakam (team-high 2,110 minutes last season), Kyle Lowry (2,098), OG Anunoby (2,066) and Fred VanVleet (1,928) all return for Toronto. Meanwhile, New Orleans lost minutes leader Jrue Holiday (2,117) in a trade to Milwaukee, but the next four Pelicans on that list are all back, including Brandon Ingram (2,104), Lonzo Ball (2,025), Josh Hart (1,755) and JJ Redick (1,581). Incidentally, returning starter Zion Williamson only logged 668 minutes due to injury, the 12th-most on New Orleans’ roster last season.

3, 5: Ranking in three-pointers made per game last season for Toronto and New Orleans, respectively. Based on last season’s numbers at least, expect the deep jumpers to fly in Central Florida, in an interconference matchup pitting two top shooting teams. The Raptors and Pelicans not only both ranked in the top five in makes, but were also top-seven in percentage from beyond the arc, with Toronto placing fifth (37.4) and New Orleans seventh (37.0). Four different Raptors canned at least 100 three-pointers in ’19-20 and all of them have returned, while the Pelicans had five such players, though Holiday (122) is now a member of the Bucks. Redick connected on a team-best 180 trifectas in his 60 games, averaging 3.0 per game.

126.0: Toronto points per game during a two-game sweep over New Orleans during the ’19-20 season. The Raptors scored 130 points in a dramatic overtime victory against the Pelicans in the season opener for both clubs, then raced to a 122-104 verdict in the Smoothie King Center a couple weeks later. It’s important for New Orleans to get better on the defensive end for a variety of reasons, but particularly when facing Toronto. The Raptors went 21-0 last season when they scored 120-plus points, while the Pelicans were just 3-27 when they allowed that many points.

Pelicans Keys To Victory

START FAST IN UNFAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS

Tampa’s Amalie Arena is the rare NBA venue that isn’t familiar to even 15-year veteran Redick. It could be an adjustment shooting-wise for the home team as well, in a place that’s never previously hosted NBA games, but the Pelicans’ need for a fast start is worthy of discussion in more ways than one. New Orleans has been plagued by poor starts to regular seasons over the past half-decade, including opening 0-4 a year ago. The Pelicans also have begun campaigns 0-6 and 0-8 since 2015.

WIN THE BENCH BATTLE

Despite sometimes using a shortened rotation, particularly in the postseason, Toronto’s Nick Nurse has had one of the most reliable benches in the league. The Raptors’ frontcourt took a hit due to the free agent departures of Ibaka and Gasol, which could mean larger roles for players like Chris Boucher. New Orleans’ bench boasts proven contributors Redick and Josh Hart, along with second-year NBA players Jaxson Hayes, Nicolo Melli and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

CONTAIN SIAKAM

Siakam absolutely terrorized the Pelicans last season, piling up a career-best 44 points in New Orleans, after he’d already deposited 34 points on opening night in Scotiabank Arena. Oddly, of Siakam’s top eight scoring games last season, seven came against Western Conference opponents, including both Pelicans matchups. He hurt New Orleans last season on drives, from three-point range and in transition.

Sourced from Pelicans

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