New Orleans has been playing significantly better basketball lately, but when guard JJ Redick was asked Monday about how satisfying it’s been to see the Pelicans turn around their season, it was no time for a victory lap.
“It will be gratifying if we make the playoffs,” Redick pointed out after shootaround. “We’ve got a ways to go, but the season is long and there are a lot of ebbs and flows and cycles and mountains, highs and lows. You just accept that at this point. But I said the other night that we’re trending in the right direction right now, so that’s very positive.”
For New Orleans (12-24, three games out of eighth place in West) to continue that upward trend Monday, it will need to beat a Utah team that has given the Pelicans major problems in recent years, particularly in the Smoothie King Center. The Jazz have prevailed in six consecutive trips to the Crescent City, and might have the advantage Monday of facing the Pelicans without Jrue Holiday. Holiday is listed as questionable to play, due to a left elbow contusion.
Even during New Orleans’ most successful season of the last decade, the Pelicans lost home games to the Jazz by margins of 17 and 24 points.
Other notes from Monday’s shootaround:
Redick on the impact of Lonzo Ball as New Orleans has gone 6-2 over its last eight games: “I think Lonzo’s been fantastic over the last couple weeks. He’s really raised his level of play. A lot of that obviously is shooting the ball well, but he’s also pushing and running downhill, both in transition and the halfcourt. That’s been really key for us.” …
Dating back to Dec. 18, New Orleans is now fourth in defensive efficiency, the biggest key to its improved performance overall. The Pelicans have actually been slightly below average offensively during the same timeframe, ranking No. 16 in efficiency among the 30 teams.
“It started with the Brooklyn game, where we tweaked a couple things defensively,” Redick said. “Other than maybe one half of the Houston game and parts of the Laker game, we’ve been pretty good defensively.”
“It helps us take some of the pressure off the offense,” center Derrick Favors said. “Especially on nights where we might not be making shots, or nights where we have tired legs. You can always rely on that defense to generate stops and help that offense. It’s helpful we’re getting better at that end. We’ve just got to keep improving.” …
In addition to facing one of the NBA’s hottest teams (Utah has a five-game active winning streak, tied for longest in the league), New Orleans may have to guard against fatigue tonight. The Pelicans took cross-country flights Thursday and Sunday, sandwiched around a Friday/Saturday back-to-back in California. Normally when a team returns from the West Coast and changes two or more time zones, there is an additional day before it plays another game, but not always.
“It’s the NBA,” Favors said, smiling when asked about the rigorous multi-day span. “You’ve just got to find a way to get some energy, find a way to get yourself going. We’ve got a good, young team that can do that, so I think we’ll be OK.”