Pregame report: Lakers at Pelicans
By: Jim Eichenhofer, Pelicans.com, @Jim_Eichenhofer
The latest updates from the New Orleans Arena, where the Pelicans will host the Lakers at 7 p.m. Central:
• Ryan Anderson (broken toe) will not play tonight for New Orleans. Steve Nash (rest in second game of back-to-back) is out for the Lakers.
• Monty Williams on Xavier Henry, who has carved out a starting role with the Lakers after he was unable to gain much traction in his career while with New Orleans the past two seasons: “I just think he’s healthy. Here, he struggled with so many injuries. It looks like he lost some weight, so he’s in better shape. We always felt like he could play, but he could never get himself healthy.”
• A grinning Williams complimented the work ethic and play of Pelicans point guard Brian Roberts, who has just four turnovers in 92 minutes, despite handling the ball constantly while in the game: “He’s a guy who didn’t like me much (as a rookie), because I was on him all season.” Roberts enjoyed an outstanding offseason and preseason, which has carried over into the real games.
• Lakers Coach Mike D’Antoni said that with Nash resting tonight, his starters will be Steve Blake, Jodie Meeks, Xavier Henry, Pau Gasol and Chris Kaman.
• The Lakers have relied heavily on the three-point ball early in the season, making twice as many treys (67) as the Pelicans (32), even though New Orleans is leading the NBA in percentage from beyond the arc (47.8)