New Orleans (44-28) dropped its six-game homestand opener in narrow fashion Tuesday, rallying back from a 20-point deficit but ultimately losing 119-112 to Oklahoma City.
Watch postgame interviews with Willie Green, Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum.
The Pelicans moved back into fifth place in the West by virtue of Tuesday’s loss, now a half-game behind the LA Clippers (44-27). The Clippers visit Philadelphia on ESPN tonight at 6:30 p.m. Meanwhile, sixth-place Dallas (43-29) sliced its deficit behind NOLA in half, now behind by just one game. The tiebreaker between the Pelicans and Mavericks is yet to be settled (Dallas has a 9-5 division record, while NOLA is 9-6 with only an April 5 game vs. San Antonio to play).
In NBA.com’s power rankings, New Orleans is in the No. 6 spot. ESPN.com also has the Pelicans sixth, while The Athletic moved them up to fifth this week.
On Western Conference Wednesday, one of the most relevant games on the scoreboard this evening is eighth-place Phoenix (42-30) visiting Denver. The Suns are two games behind the Pelicans in the standings, currently holding the temporary tiebreaker due to a 1-0 season-series edge. New Orleans will face Phoenix on April 1 and 7, with the first of those matchups in the Blender.