1)      Week 9 of the NBA schedule for New Orleans includes what’s been a rare stretch of opponents that are not currently thriving, with two matchups against teams that are below .500. The Pelicans host Brooklyn (14-12) tonight, followed by a Wednesday back-to-back in Minnesota (10-15) and a Friday visit to Golden State (5-23).

2)      Tickets to tonight’s 7 p.m. home game against the Nets are available here.

3)      JJ Redick won’t play Tuesday due to left groin soreness.

4)      New Orleans dropped to No. 26 on NBA.com’s power rankings this week, with writer John Schuhmann noting, “Seven of the 12 opponents over the losing streak (in which they’ve allowed more than 118 points per 100 possessions) have top-10 offenses, but they also allowed the 25th-ranked Magic offense to register its second most efficient game of the season on Sunday. The Pels don’t face another top-10 offense until Dec. 29, and they have some winnable games this week.” SI.com and ESPN.com also have the Pelicans at 26, while The Athletic and CBS Sports have them at No. 29.

5)      Check out photos of Lonzo Ball hosting a community event for students yesterday. Josh Hart also participated in the community Monday.