Rajon Rondo is listed as questionable to play Tuesday vs. Portland due to a sprained right wrist, but the point guard was making the best of the situation this morning when he discussed the injury with media members. With the exaggerations thick, Rondo first explained how the injury occurred Thursday against the Lakers.
“I came down from my 42-inch vertical and tried to brace myself,” said Rondo, who rarely dunks or elevates much on the court. “It started hurting that night. (There was) no swelling. I went to the doctor at about 3 a.m., went to the ER, got about six MRIs. Luckily nothing’s broken.”
Rondo was wearing large padding on his right wrist and used his left hand exclusively to handle the ball during the portion of shootaround when media was allowed into the Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Rondo joked – at least, he seemed to be joking – that he would rely on his gymnastics expertise to determine if he can play against the Trail Blazers (45-28).
“I don’t know yet,” Rondo said of his status. “I’m pretty good at handstands and backflips, so I’m going to see what I’ve got. If I can’t land on my hand, then I’ll probably take another day of rest. It’s been a little sore the last couple days. I shot yesterday. We’ll see how it feels going into tonight’s game.”
Other notes from Tuesday’s shootaround:
Like Rondo, forward Nikola Mirotic is listed as questionable to play vs. Portland. Mirotic sat out Saturday’s game in Houston due to a right hip flexor. …
One common key against third-place Portland is perimeter defense while facing the backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Lillard has been one of the league’s best players, particularly since the All-Star break, while McCollum took over in the fourth quarter of a key Sunday win at Oklahoma City. To New Orleans’ credit, neither has put up great numbers against the Pelicans over three head-to-head meetings this season. Lillard is at just 36.5 percent from the field and 23.3 percent on three-pointers, far cries from his 2017-18 numbers of 43.8 and 36.8 in those categories. McCollum is averaging 21.0 points vs. NOLA, but he’s made less than half of his shots in every game, combining to shoot 41.4 percent.
“Disrupt them a little bit, show them different looks, trap, but always be into them obviously,” Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday said of the focus vs. Lillard and McCollum. “Try to get (the ball) out of their hands, try to make them work early, so that they’re tired at the end of the game.”
“We’ve just got to make it a point of emphasis to not let them get comfortable,” reserve guard Ian Clark said. “We know when they get hot, they’re hard to stop. We know they’re going to get their shots up, but we have to limit the easy points they get. Transition is a big key, finding them in transition, because we know they’re going to run to the three-point line. We have to make sure they’re not comfortable coming off ball screens, and getting easy layups to get themselves going.” …
NBA.com writer John Schuhmann pointed out in his weekly power rankings Monday that New Orleans has the league’s second-best defense since the All-Star break while facing opponents with winning records. Only the ultra-stingy Utah Jazz have been better since mid-February.
“Getting back in transition,” Rondo said of one key to the improved defensive performance. “When we do get back, we’re able to lock in defensively as five guys on the court. Our communication has gotten a lot better. And we’re boxing out, finishing the (play) with a defensive rebound.”
“Communication,” Holiday agreed. “Everybody’s talking and communicating, and we try to stick to the game plan. Sometimes you might get mixed up, but that’s where we do a good job of covering for each other.”