The introduction of the NBA’s current play-in tournament format in 2021 has helped New Orleans extend each of its past two seasons beyond Game 82, with consecutive No. 9 seeds giving the Pelicans opportunities to reach the playoffs. It’s created two pressure-packed play-in games in the Smoothie King Center, as well as a memorable April 2022 win in Crypto.com Arena that sent New Orleans to a Western Conference first-round matchup vs. top-seeded Phoenix.
While the play-in concept has been highly beneficial for New Orleans, the franchise also wants absolutely nothing to do with it in 2024. At 33-22 during the All-Star break, the Pelicans are sixth in the West, just above the cut-off line for the play-in field. If the season ended today, seventh-place Dallas (32-23) would host No. 8 Sacramento (31-23), with the star-studded Lakers and Warriors squaring off in the 9-10 elimination game.
New Orleans would prefer to clinch a playoff berth much earlier than mid-April this spring, but its margin of error is small, considering its one-game lead on Dallas and 1.5-game edge over Sacramento. In addition to the obvious reward of a top-six finish meaning an automatic trip to the playoffs, it also brings a multi-day break from game action. The Pelicans wrap up this regular season April 14 vs. the Lakers; if they earn a top-six seed, they’ll have until April 20 or 21 to prepare for a Game 1 of the playoffs.
“You want to be able to rest during that time,” guard CJ McCollum said after Wednesday’s practice of the week-ish hiatus. “We haven’t been able to do that these last two years. (Also) when you play in the play-in, you’ve got to go right into the playoffs, with no rest. I think that makes it’s a little more difficult and challenging (to be successful). And obviously you can lose too, and your season is over. For us, it’s about taking advantage of these 27 games we’ve got left, win as many as we can, and try to control our own destiny, in terms of not having to worry about that at all.”
“It’s definitely one of our goals, to take another step,” third-year head coach Willie Green said. “That step for us is to not be in the play-in. We can control our own destiny by piling up as many wins as we can.”
CJ McCollum on Zion Williamson, Houston Rockets 2/21/24
Other notes after Wednesday’s practice:
Brandon Ingram did not participate in practice due to a non-Covid illness. The team’s official injury report has a 5 p.m. deadline. The Pelicans and many other NBA teams will resume game action Thursday. …
Asked if a total of 50 wins might be enough for the Pelicans to earn a top-six seed this season, Green said, “I like that number. If we can get there, that would be good.” New Orleans must go 17-10 over the final 27 games to finish 50-32, which would represent the second-best record in team history. …
When it was pointed out that despite being 11 games over .500, the Pelicans have a minimal cushion on staying in the top six, Green responded, “It’s competitive, especially in the Western Conference. Teams have gotten better. The play-in has made teams more competitive. It’s going to come down to the last couple games, the way it has the last couple seasons.” …
Willie Green talks competition in NBA Western Conference 2/21/24
McCollum on the impact Ingram and Zion Williamson have on him within the team’s offensive attack: “The better they play, the easier it is for me. They get a lot of attention.”
Games vs. West’s current second tier
Sixth-place New Orleans (33-22) is already finished playing this season against its closest pursuer in the standings, seventh-place Dallas. The Pelicans have also faced No. 8 Sacramento four times, though one matchup remains (April 11 in Golden 1 Center). So if you’re trying to pinpoint which games could be most important during this stretch run of 27 post-break contests, it’s actually not difficult to narrow down the list. Here are the only three games the Pelicans have remaining against the West clubs currently in the conference’s No. 5-8 spots (the West’s “first tier” and top four is presently occupied by Minnesota, Oklahoma City, the Clippers and Denver).
Monday, April 1 vs. Phoenix, 7 p.m.
The Suns have a chance to clinch the season series – which consists of only three games – after they prevailed 123-109 on Jan. 19 in the Smoothie King Center, behind Devin Booker’s 52 points.
Sunday, April 7 at Phoenix, 5 p.m.
The penultimate weekend of the NBA regular season is the only time New Orleans will play in Arizona this season. The Pelicans’ most recent victory in Footprint Center occurred in Game 2 of the 2022 playoffs.
Thursday, April 11 at Sacramento, 9 p.m.
The third stop on a four-game road trip for New Orleans will provide a rare chance to beat an opponent five times within the same season. It’s also the first night of what could be a monumental Pelicans back-to-back (April 12 is at Golden State).
Unusual East-heavy tilt to remaining schedule
One odd aspect of NOLA’s docket over its final 27 games is that more interconference matchups remain (16) than West contests (only 11). The Pelicans have already played 41 of their 52 conference games and only have seven games left against West clubs in spots 1-10 (the three dates listed above, along with one tilt apiece vs. Clippers, vs. Oklahoma City, at Golden State and vs. Lakers).
No West team has fewer conference games remaining than New Orleans. There are also several East teams that have more games left against the West than do the Pelicans (for example, Miami has 13 remaining vs. the West; Indiana and Milwaukee have 12 apiece).
