The third-best team in the Western Conference visits the best team in the East (and the NBA) on Wednesday, when New Orleans (25-16) takes on Boston (29-12) at 6:30 p.m. Central. Pregame coverage on Bally Sports and 99.5 FM tips off at 6.
Read Tuesday’s injury report, which added Herb Jones, due to an injury he sustained in Monday’s win at Washington.
Boston is 16-5 at home and 13-4 vs. the West. New Orleans is 8-11 on the road and 9-6 against the East, meaning the Pelicans are also exactly halfway through the 30 interconference games they play each season.
On Western Conference Wednesday, the Pelicans benefited again on the scoreboard last night, when Dallas (23-19) lost at the LA Clippers, ending LA’s six-game losing streak. The Mavericks have gone 0-2 since beating the Pelicans on Saturday, helping NOLA regain a 2.5-game lead on Dallas.
Speaking of the Clippers, they are currently in the No. 6 spot. If the season ended today, they would face the Pels in the 3-6 matchup, while Dallas-Sacramento would be the 4-5 pairing. Among the four West teams currently in play-in spots 7 through 10, none have a winning record over the last 10 games, opening the door for clubs like the Lakers (6-4 in their last 10) and Oklahoma City (5-5) to gain ground. The Lakers are just a half-game behind No. 10 Utah (21-23), which is also only 1.5 games ahead of the Thunder.