LAS VEGAS – For the New Orleans Pelicans to secure a championship in the 2016 NBA Summer League tournament, the path won’t be easy. The Pelicans will need to win five games without a defeat over a six-day span, while doing so as the fourth-lowest seed in the entire field.
New Orleans (1-2 in pool play) learned Tuesday evening that it is the No. 21 seed out of 24 clubs in the single-elimination bracket. The Pelicans will open tournament play Wednesday afternoon against the 12th-seeded Miami Heat. Tip-off of the game between the Pelicans and Heat will be at 3:30 p.m. Central (1:30 in Las Vegas, inside the Thomas & Mack Center). Broadcast information for the first-round matchup remained to be announced as of late Tuesday.
If New Orleans wins Wednesday, it will move on to the Round of 16 on Thursday and play against fifth-seeded Phoenix. A win Thursday over the Suns would then allow the Pelicans to skip past Friday’s consolation round and advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals. With a loss Wednesday, the Pelicans would be slated to wrap up their stay in Las Vegas on Friday in a consolation game.