A look at three key numbers related to Wednesday’s game at the American Airlines Center between New Orleans and Dallas (8 p.m. Central, Bally Sports New Orleans, ESPN Radio New Orleans 100.3 FM):
2,593: Total points scored this season by New Orleans second-year players, via NBA.com. That represents the NBA’s second-highest tally in 2020-21, behind only Oklahoma City at 2,842. Obviously the majority of those points from second-year Pelicans were generated by Zion Williamson prior to his hand injury, with the 20-year-old notching 1,647 points in 61 games. With Williamson sidelined, fellow 2019 first-round picks Jaxson Hayes and Nickeil Alexander-Walker have played some of their best basketball lately – Hayes is averaging 16.7 points over the past three games, while Alexander-Walker has averaged 15.5 points in two games, despite a minute restriction limiting him to 21 and 24 minutes at Charlotte and Memphis, respectively. New Orleans second-year pros also rank second in rebounding (906) and third in blocks (103), with OKC also topping the NBA in both categories. Incidentally, Dallas is 29th in the NBA in contributions from sophomore pros, with just 75 points, 54 rebounds and two blocks. All of those have come from Nicolo Melli, who was traded by New Orleans to Dallas in late March.
46, 0: Luka Doncic points in the Feb. 12 win over New Orleans, followed by his output in a March 27 loss at New Orleans, which he missed due to back tightness. The third-year Dallas star has produced four games of 40-plus points this season, but his top offensive game remains his 46-pointer against the Pelicans. Doncic was very efficient in the mid-February matchup, going 17/30 from the field, 5/9 from three-point range and 7/9 at the foul line. Dallas piled up 143 points, by far the most the Mavericks have scored in a game this season (second on the list is 134 vs. Golden State on Feb. 6). Dallas is 17-0 when it puts up at least 120 points. In the March 27 game without Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, the Mavericks managed only 103 points. They are 3-12 when held to 103 or less.
1: New Orleans “elimination number,” which means any New Orleans loss or San Antonio win will end the Pelicans’ chances of reaching the Western Conference play-in round. New Orleans has made it to Game 70 of the 72-game slate still mathematically alive, but needs to beat Dallas tonight and have San Antonio lose the next two nights (at Brooklyn, at New York) to be able to say the same entering Game 71 on Friday at Golden State. In terms of the 2021 draft – which will be held July 29 – there are many potential moving parts that will determine where the Pelicans pick in the first round, such as the June 22 draft lottery. Right now there are seven NBA teams officially eliminated from play-in contention, plus two teams (Chicago and Sacramento) with similar records to New Orleans who are on the verge of being among 10 lottery-bound clubs. Four more lottery entrants will be added May 18-21 during the NBA’s play-in tournament.
PREVIOUS GAME STARTING LINEUPS
NEW ORLEANS (31-38, 11TH IN WEST)
Monday loss at Memphis
Lonzo Ball, Eric Bledsoe, Naji Marshall, James Johnson, Willy Hernangomez
Notes: This group is 1-2, starting each of the past three games in which New Orleans has been without all three of its frontcourt regulars. … Bledsoe leads New Orleans this season with 67 starts, while Ball has made 55. Coincidentally, Marshall, Johnson and Hernangomez have made seven, eight and nine starts, respectively. … The Pelicans are tied with Sacramento (31-38) for 11th place, but New Orleans holds the tiebreaker based on a 2-1 season-series victory. The Kings visit Memphis on Thursday and Friday, followed by a Sunday home game vs. Utah.
DALLAS (40-29, 6TH IN WEST)
Tuesday loss at Memphis
Luka Doncic, Josh Richardson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith, Willie Cauley-Stein
Notes: This group is 4-2. Surprisingly, that represents the lineup Dallas has used the second most all season. The most common Mavericks first string has a record of 16-6 and features Maxi Kleber and Kristaps Porzingis instead of Hardaway and Cauley-Stein. … Dallas is tied with Portland (40-29) in the standings for fifth place, but the Trail Blazers hold the tiebreaker based on winning the season series 2-1. The Mavericks can clinch a playoff berth (and guarantee avoidance of the play-in round) by winning at least two of their final three games.
PELICANS KEYS TO VICTORY PRESENTED BY FANDUEL
BETTER START
There should be no complaints about New Orleans’ competitiveness and approach during this three-game road trip – the undermanned Pelicans have scratched and clawed for 48 minutes of every contest. However, the Pelicans could make life a lot easier on themselves by no longer digging halftime holes. New Orleans has trailed by 17, 10 and 12 points at intermission of the games against Philadelphia, Charlotte and Memphis.
SOPHOMORES SURGING
The road trip has been the best stretch of Hayes’ two-year career, with the University of Texas product tallying 19, 18 and 13 points, while totaling 18 rebounds and nine blocks. Alexander-Walker has not looked like a player who was sidelined for 18 consecutive games with a high ankle sprain. The duo is trying to cap encouraging sophomore seasons with more quality individual road performances against very good opposition.
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM EVERYONE
New Orleans continues to remain competitive without its two leading scorers lately partly based on excellent balance. Facing Memphis on Monday, nine different Pelicans supplied eight-plus points. Seven reached double digits in scoring.