New Orleans (16-12) couldn’t hold on to a big lead Tuesday, losing to Memphis at the buzzer on Ja Morant’s spinning game-winner.
Watch postgame video reaction with Willie Green, CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson.
The Pelicans will practice today in the Ochsner Sports Performance Center, before traveling to Ohio ahead of Thursday’s game at Cleveland (6:30 p.m., Bally Sports, 99.5 FM). Check Pelicans.com later for coverage, as well as the injury report (posted prior to the 4 p.m. Central deadline for a game in the Eastern time zone).
On Western Conference Wednesday, New Orleans remains in seventh place in the standings, one game behind fifth-place Dallas (16-10) and the No. 6 LA Clippers (16-10). Those two West rivals face each other Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Texas, meaning one of them will be back to just a half-game ahead of the Pelicans. If the season ended right now, the Pelicans would face the Lakers in the 7-8 play-in tournament matchup.
In the bottom tier of the standings, Memphis’ dramatic Tuesday victory brought the Grizzlies to within 6.5 games of No. 10 Phoenix (14-13), which lost at Portland last night. Four of the next five Memphis games are on the road, including a Dec. 26 return visit to face New Orleans. The Pelicans and Grizzlies have split their first two head-to-head meetings, with the away team winning both times.