2018-19 Top 10 Home Games

Jim Eichenhofer

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS AT NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
Tuesday, April 9 (7 p.m.)

Why it’s on the list
You may have heard – a four-time All-Star center decided to change his NBA address July 2, moving from New Orleans to the California Bay Area. The league’s schedulemakers gave DeMarcus Cousins the greatest possible chance of making an on-court return to New Orleans this season, placing Golden State’s only visit of ’18-19 in Game 82 for the Pelicans. The story of Cousins facing New Orleans will likely dominate the headlines prior to this matchup, but it also will be a rematch of the ’18 Western Conference semifinals and a game that features a handful of other perennial All-Stars. New Orleans franchise player Anthony Davis is a five-time All-Star, while Golden State’s familiar quartet of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson all appeared in the midseason showcase last season.

Where it falls on the New Orleans schedule
This is key, because as the final regular season game for the Pelicans – and the second-to-last contest for the Warriors, who are at Memphis on April 10 – the meeting could either be extremely important or supremely inconsequential. Golden State has frequently locked up the No. 1 seed prior to the final week of the regular season in recent years, and knew it would be a No. 2 seed last season behind Houston well in advance of Game 82. Meanwhile, in what was a very competitive and tight West race, New Orleans didn’t lock up a playoff berth until Game 81 last season and finally procured its No. 6 seed by defeating San Antonio on the final night of the campaign. On the flip side, there have also been many recent seasons where the finale was meaningless in the standings for the Pelicans.

What’s new in Golden State
After numerous basketball fans across the continent decried the notion of the Warriors adding another All-Star to the mix in Cousins, the two-time defending NBA champions later signed forward Jonas Jerebko in free agency from Utah. Jacob Evans was the team’s first-round pick, at No. 28 overall. Golden State lost JaVale McGee (Lakers) and Zaza Pachulia (Detroit) in free agency.

Other 2018-19 games between these two teams
Wednesday, Oct. 31, New Orleans at Golden State
Wednesday, Jan. 16, New Orleans at Golden State (ESPN)

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Top 10 Pelicans Home Games of 2018-19: No. 1 vs. Warriors

LOS ANGELES LAKERS AT NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
Saturday, Feb. 23 (6 p.m.)

Why it’s on the list
After two near-misses this decade, Houston guard James Harden captured the NBA’s MVP award in 2017-18. Although “The Beard” still must be considered a strong contender to repeat, based on prognostications this summer, the biggest favorites to reign as the sport’s premier player in ’18-19 are the individual headliners for the Lakers and Pelicans.

In ESPN.com’s annual “Summer Forecast” series, Lakers free-agent signee LeBron James received the most points in projected MVP voting. Meanwhile, Pelicans five-time All-Star Anthony Davis was second on the list. James and Davis were followed in the top five by Golden State’s Kevin Durant, Harden and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.

New Orleans now will have to deal with the all-around dominance of LeBron on a much more frequent basis, with the Ohio native suiting up for a Western Conference squad for the first time, after 15 years in the East. James’ Cleveland and Miami teams actually struggled mightily in many of their visits to the Crescent City, going a combined 5-10 in the Smoothie King Center. James has registered a pair of 40-point games in New Orleans during his pro career, along with a triple-double, but he has not won a game in the Big Easy since March 29, 2013. During his second stint with his home-state NBA franchise, the Cavaliers were 0-4 in trips to Louisiana.

Prior to this late-February matchup, the clubs will have already played once at Staples Center (Dec. 21), giving Pelicans big Julius Randle his first opportunity to face his former NBA team.

Where it falls on the New Orleans schedule
The Pelicans play five of their first seven games on the road coming out of the All-Star break, with a two-game homestand vs. the Lakers and 76ers sandwiched between a one-game trip to Indiana and a four-game trek to Los Angeles (to play the Lakers again on Feb. 27), Phoenix, Denver and Utah. The good news in the second half of the schedule for New Orleans is the stretch run is extremely favorable travel-wise, including 10 home games between March 6 and April 3, but just three road tilts in that timeframe.

What’s new in Los Angeles
No NBA team had a more interesting offseason than the Lakers, and not just because they landed the biggest fish in free agency by signing James to a four-year contract. Los Angeles signed point guard Rajon Rondo on Day 2 of the free-agent period, then added mercurial role players JaVale McGee, Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasley. The Lakers did not have their lottery pick due to a previous trade, but selected Mo Wagner with the No. 27 pick of the first round. Some of the recognizable names who left Los Angeles this summer included Randle, Brook Lopez (Milwaukee) and Isaiah Thomas (Denver).

Other 2018-19 games between these two teams
Friday, Dec. 21, New Orleans at L.A. Lakers (ESPN)
Wednesday, Feb. 27, New Orleans at L.A. Lakers (ESPN)
Sunday, March 31, L.A. Lakers at New Orleans

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Top 10 Pelicans Home Games of 2018-19: No. 2 vs. Lakers

SACRAMENTO KINGS AT NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
Friday, Oct. 19 (7 p.m.)

Why it’s on the list
For the first time in 10 years, New Orleans will play a home opener while coming off an advancement in the NBA playoffs, hosting a youthful, rebuilding Sacramento squad. The Kings may seem like a manageable guest on paper, but they actually were the source of significant frustration for the Pelicans last season, winning twice in the Smoothie King Center. Sacramento notched a 116-109 overtime victory over New Orleans and former Kings franchise player DeMarcus Cousins on Dec. 8, then beat the Pelicans again on the latter’s home floor without Cousins on Jan. 30, by a 114-103 margin. Strangely, the road team prevailed in all four New Orleans-Sacramento meetings last season, as the Pelicans won relatively comfortably in both visits to Golden 1 Center.

In its effort to get off to a much better start at home and overall in ’18-19, this is a first step for New Orleans, which has dropped each of its last three home openers (granted, two of those defeats were vs. juggernaut Golden State). The last time the Pelicans held the upper hand in home game No. 1 was October 2014, when Anthony Davis and Omer Asik combined for a staggering 40 points, 34 rebounds and 14 blocks vs. Orlando.

Where it falls on the New Orleans schedule
The regular season overall begins in Houston for the Pelicans, prior to a four-game homestand that begins with this Sacramento matchup, followed by meetings vs. the Clippers, Brooklyn and Utah. New Orleans was disappointed by its 24-17 home record last season, so this will be an opportunity to get on a much better pace in that category. The first four home tilts in November are all against teams that did not make the playoffs (Chicago, Phoenix, New York, Denver).

What’s new in Sacramento
The Kings have been stocking their roster with high lottery picks in recent years and this summer added No. 2 draft choice Marvin Bagley, a productive scorer and rebounder from Duke. Sacramento figures to be a deeper team with more veteran experience, having landed forward Nemanja Bjelica (free agent from Minnesota), guard Yogi Ferrell (free agent, Dallas) and guard Ben McLemore (trade, Memphis). LSU product and steady veteran role player Garrett Temple was sent to Memphis in the McLemore deal.

Other 2018-19 games between these two teams
Sunday, Dec. 23, New Orleans at Sacramento
Thursday, March 28, Sacramento at New Orleans
Sunday, April 7, New Orleans at Sacramento

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Top 10 Pelicans Home Games of 2018-19: No. 3 vs. Kings

BOSTON CELTICS AT NEW ORLEANS PELICANSMonday, Nov. 26 (7 p.m.)

Why it’s on the list
At least two of the most memorable moments of Anthony Davis’ NBA career have come in matchups vs. Boston, starting with a game-winning putback score in his rookie season. Last season, his third-best scoring night came at TD Garden in January, when he racked up 45 points (he also had a 53-point eruption vs. Phoenix and 48 at New York).

Beyond Davis’ knack for coming up big against the Celtics, recent New Orleans-Boston matchups have featured a considerable amount of other young talent on both rosters. The Celtics are the consensus favorite to win the Eastern Conference in ’18-19 and nearly did so ahead of schedule this spring, partly due to the emergence of Jayson Tatum, who’s still only 20 years old, as well as Jaylen Brown, 21; and Terry Rozier, 24. On the New Orleans side, Davis is just 25, while fellow prominent Pelicans frontcourt players Nikola Mirotic and Julius Randle are 27 and 23, respectively. Along with acquiring Randle, New Orleans got younger this summer by signing point guard Elfrid Payton, 24.

After starting last season 22-4, Boston will try to match that fantastic beginning in ’18-19. Meanwhile, New Orleans hopes to produce a better pre-Christmas record than its 17-16 mark from ’17-18.

Where it falls on the New Orleans schedule
The Pelicans will be coming off a three-game Thanksgiving week road trip, an annual late-November occurrence due to the Bayou Classic always being staged in the Superdome two days after Turkey Day. New Orleans will try to capitalize on a seven-game stretch from Nov. 21 through Dec. 2 in which every opponent is from the East. The Pelicans did exactly that in ’17-18, going 21-9 against the East, which was better than every West team other than Houston (24-6) and Golden State (24-6).

What’s new in Boston
After Gordon Hayward missed all but the first five minutes of the regular season and Kyrie Irving was sidelined for the entire playoffs, the most positive “change” for the Celtics should be the healthy availability of two of their best players and offensive threats. Aside from the return of those key cogs, Boston did not make any major roster additions. The Celtics re-signed key rotation players Aron Baynes and Marcus Smart.

Other 2018-19 games between these two teams
Monday, Dec. 10, New Orleans at Boston (NBA TV)

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Top 10 Pelicans Home Games of 2018-19: No. 4 vs. Celtics

HOUSTON ROCKETS AT NEW ORLEANS PELICANSSaturday, Dec. 29 (6 p.m.)

Why it’s on the list
The two best Southwest Division teams in ’17-18 combined to win 113 games, topped by Houston’s NBA-leading 65-17 record. For New Orleans (48-34) to close the large gap the Rockets opened between them and the rest of the conference – Houston even bested Golden State by seven wins – the Pelicans will likely need to fare better in head-to-head matchups.

New Orleans went just 1-3 vs. Houston last season, allowing a whopping 117.0 points per game in the defeats. The Rockets’ high pick-and-roll – frequently featuring James Harden or Chris Paul and rolling center Clint Capela – was particularly problematic. The Pelicans did post one of their most impressive victories of ’17-18 against the Rockets by a 115-113 margin on Jan. 26, but lost DeMarcus Cousins to a season-ending injury in the final moments of the fourth quarter.

Houston’s high-powered offense was so effective Dec. 11 against New Orleans that the Rockets were able to prevail 130-123 despite Jrue Holiday and E’Twaun Moore piling up 37 and 36 points, respectively. The latter represents a career high in scoring for Moore.

Where it falls on the New Orleans schedule

Home games during the holiday week between Christmas and New Year’s Day are generally coveted by NBA teams, because they’re likely to draw big crowds, as families enjoy additional time off from work or school. The Pelicans will spend all of their schedule surrounding Christmas on the road, facing Milwaukee, the Lakers, Sacramento and Dallas, before returning to Louisiana for a three-game homestand. This Rockets home tilt is sandwiched between visits to the Smoothie King Center by Dallas (Dec. 29) and Minnesota (Dec. 31).

What’s new in Houston
Various predictions of a potential drop-off by the Rockets in ’18-19 are largely based on the departure of valuable two-way small forward Trevor Ariza (signed with Phoenix), as well as versatile reserve defender Luc Mbah a Moute (Clippers). Carmelo Anthony figures to take over most of those minutes and will form a trio of household names on Houston’s roster by joining Harden and Paul. Houston sought more help at the wing position by signing James Ennis (from Detroit), while also picking up backup point guard Michael Carter-Williams (Charlotte).

Other 2018-19 games between these two teams
Wednesday, Oct. 17, New Orleans at Houston (ESPN)
Tuesday, Jan. 29, New Orleans at Houston (TNT)
Sunday, March 24, Houston at New Orleans

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Top 10 Pelicans Home Games of 2018-19: No. 5 vs. Rockets

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER AT NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
Wednesday, Dec. 12 (7 p.m., ESPN)

Why it’s on the list
The national TV networks that cover the NBA agree: New Orleans vs. Oklahoma City is a matchup worth watching. Both of the Thunder’s visits to the Pelicans’ home floor will be carried across the entire country, with ESPN and TNT splitting the two games.

In addition to boasting three of the NBA’s biggest names – perennial All-Stars Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook and Paul George – New Orleans and Oklahoma City are coming off nearly identical regular seasons, with both squads going 48-34. However, the Pelicans exceeded expectations, while the Thunder were an overall disappointment, entering ’17-18 with hopes of contending for the Western Conference title, but instead being eliminated in Round 1 of the postseason by Utah.

The three-game head-to-head series vs. Oklahoma City last season proved pivotal in a variety of ways last season for New Orleans, including a February road win at Chesapeake Energy Arena that helped start a midseason Pelicans turnaround. New Orleans bested OKC 2-1, losing only in an April 1 matchup that preceded the club’s regular season-closing five-game winning streak.

Where it falls on the New Orleans schedule
When you play in the West, there are few stretches that can be considered “easy” on paper, but the club’s December slate is perhaps the most manageable of the regular season, at least based on the opponents. Among the Pelicans’ first dozen games that month, only four opponents reached the playoffs in ’18, a quartet that includes OKC, Boston, Miami and Milwaukee (all four games are between Dec. 9-19). However, there is one December matchup apiece vs. the Los Angeles teams, with the Clippers coming off a winning season at 42-40 and the Lakers vastly more dangerous by adding LeBron James. Oddly, three of the four New Orleans meetings vs. Dallas are in December.

What’s new in Oklahoma City
The biggest offseason news involved a departure, as Carmelo Anthony was traded to Atlanta, then waived, after a frustrating one-year Sooner State stint. In the same deal with the Hawks, the Thunder picked up point guard Dennis Schroder, who is projected to back up Westbrook and be one of the NBA’s most dangerous second-unit floor generals. In other summer additions that were much more under the radar, Nerlens Noel (from Dallas) and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (Philadelphia) could have roles off OKC’s bench.

Other 2018-19 games between these two teams
Monday, Nov. 5, New Orleans at Oklahoma City
Thursday, Jan. 24, New Orleans at Oklahoma City
Thursday, Feb. 14, Oklahoma City at New Orleans (TNT)

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Top 10 Pelicans Home Games of 2018-19: No. 6 vs. Thunder

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS AT NEW ORLEANS PELICANSMonday, Feb. 25 (7 p.m.)

Why it’s on the list
Is there a more compelling matchup among young NBA All-Star bigs than Anthony Davis vs. Joel Embiid? Pelicans fans were deprived of the opportunity to see Embiid up close last season, because the Philadelphia center sat out a highly-entertaining 131-124 New Orleans home victory in December, but he registered 24 points and 16 rebounds in the other head-to-head meeting two months later. Davis rang up 29 points, eight rebounds, four assists and five blocks vs. Philadelphia, but had an extremely rare rough outing in Wells Fargo Center.

The other top players in this interconference matchup also have unique connections to the opposing side, with Philadelphia’s reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, Ben Simmons, having played one season of college basketball at LSU. Meanwhile, Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday spent the first four years of his NBA career with Philadelphia, highlighted by an All-Star appearance in ’13. If the nine-year pro continues to play as well as he did during the second half of ’17-18, he may have a chance to earn a second trip to the NBA’s midseason showcase event.

Where it falls on the New Orleans schedule
After a week off for the All-Star break, the Pelicans will immediately jump into what should be a fairly difficult stretch, with four straight games against opponents projected by virtually everyone to be in the ’19 playoff field. New Orleans opens the unofficial second half with a back-to-back Feb. 22 at Indiana, then is home Feb. 23 vs. the Lakers, followed by this 76ers home game two days later. Another game against the Lakers – this time in Staples Center – will take place Feb. 27, the start of a New Orleans four-game West road trip.

What’s new in Philadelphia
There were rampant rumblings about the possibility of the 76ers landing a big name via trade or free agency this offseason, but that didn’t happen. Instead, Philadelphia will bank on roster continuity and the upside of an enviable young core led by 24-year-old Embiid and Simmons, 22. The 76ers did add productive wing Wilson Chandler in a trade with Denver, while selecting athletic wing Zhaire Smith and point guard Landry Shamet in the first round of the draft. Two veterans who were pivotal during Philadelphia’s postseason run last spring – Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli – departed in free agency, signing with Milwaukee and San Antonio, respectively.

Other 2018-19 games between these two teams
Wednesday, Nov. 21, New Orleans at Philadelphia

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Top 10 Pelicans Home Games of 2018-19: No. 7 vs. 76ers

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS AT NEW ORLEANS PELICANSFriday, March 15 (7 p.m.)

Why it’s on the list
Nearly 11 months will have passed between Portland visits to the Smoothie King Center when the Trail Blazers face the Pelicans in this mid-March meeting. Based on what transpired during the first round of the ’18 Western Conference playoffs, Oregon’s NBA franchise and its supporters might prefer it that way.

In one of the most significant accomplishments in New Orleans team history, the Pelicans swept the Blazers in Round 1, capping the domination with victories in Game 3 and 4 by margins of 17 and eight points. In the latter contest, Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday both deposited 40-plus points, leading New Orleans on April 21 to its first playoff-series triumph in 10 years.

Perhaps in an acknowledgement of the rivalry between these clubs, two of the three Pelicans-Blazers head-to-head games in ’18-19 will be broadcast on national TV, both in Moda Center. New Orleans prevailed there a total of three times last season, including two postseason wins, after experiencing virtually no success in that venue prior to ’17-18. NOLA dropped 11 consecutive games on Portland’s home floor from 2011-17.

Where it falls on the New Orleans schedule
The Pelicans will have already played 70 games in their regular season by the time the Trail Blazers make it to the Smoothie King Center. On paper, the final dozen games appear to be rather favorable for New Orleans, consisting of eight home games and only three matchups vs. teams that reached the NBA playoffs in ’18, starting with this Portland contest (the others in that span are March 24 vs. Houston and April 9 vs. Golden State).

What’s new in Portland
The Blazers will need new players to step into bigger bench roles than they’ve filled in the past, because key reserves Shabazz Napier and Ed Davis both departed for Brooklyn in free agency, while Pat Connaughton signed with Milwaukee. Those veterans will likely be replaced in the rotation by some combination of summer additions Seth Curry, Nik Stauskas and draftees Anfernee Simons (No. 24 pick) and Gary Trent Jr. (No. 37). Young players such as second-year pro Caleb Swanigan could also get greater opportunities to contribute.

Other 2018-19 games between these two teams
Thursday, Nov. 1, New Orleans at Portland (TNT)Friday, Jan. 18, New Orleans at Portland (ESPN)

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Top 10 Pelicans Home Games of 2018-19: No. 8 vs. Trail Blazers

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2018‑19 Top 10 Home Games