playoff race

Jim Eichenhofer

During the relatively quiet NBA month of August, coaches and players sometimes glance through the just-released 82-game schedule, making note of dates and opponents that may be of particular significance. When New Orleans Pelicans fifth-year head coach Monty Williams first saw a copy of his team’s 2014-15 docket, an April 15 finale vs. San Antonio seemed like it might loom large.

“Looking at the schedule,” Williams said Tuesday, “it was like, ‘That game’s going to mean something.’ ”

Williams’ gut feeling from eight months ago proved to be exceptionally prophetic.

New Orleans (44-37) will play its most consequential game in years Wednesday, when it hosts San Antonio (55-26) at 7 p.m. in the Smoothie King Center. A win would clinch a berth in the Western Conference playoffs for the Pelicans, for the first time since 2011. A loss would end New Orleans’ season, unless Oklahoma City (44-37) suffers an upset defeat at Minnesota (16-65) on Wednesday.

“I didn’t know it would end up like this, but we thought this game would be important,” Williams said, remembering back to the NBA’s Aug. 13 schedule release. “It just so happens to be OKC is in the equation (competing with NOLA for the eighth playoff spot).”

Seven Pelicans players are seeking their first NBA postseason appearance, including two-time All-Star forward Anthony Davis, seventh-year guard Eric Gordon and sixth-year guard Tyreke Evans, making Wednesday a chance to post a landmark win both team-wise and individually. Williams said his players understand what’s at stake Wednesday vs. the Spurs, who need a win to clinch the Southwest Division title. The Pelicans have already made a 10-win improvement and guaranteed themselves a winning record – after going 21-45, 27-55 and 34-48 the previous three seasons – but would gain invaluable experience from competing in the NBA playoffs.

“The players were all talking about it: It’s what you dream about as a young player, to be in a game like this,” Williams said of the make-or-break nature of Wednesday. “From where our program has come from, it’s an awesome opportunity. Our fans get a chance to be a part of it. We get to do it on our home floor.

“We looked at it back in the summer. It was like, ‘That game’s going to mean something.’ You didn’t know, but you looked at it like, ‘Oh my goodness – that game’s going to be big.’ ”

San Antonio is the NBA’s hottest team, winners of 11 consecutive games (the next-best active streak is the Clippers’ six in a row). However, New Orleans owns a 2-1 advantage in the season series, coming within a fingernail of winning all three games. The Spurs’ lone victory over the Pelicans came in overtime on New Year’s Eve, by a 95-93 margin. Just to get to OT, San Antonio needed a bizarre tip-in play at the fourth-quarter buzzer, in which Pelicans center Omer Asik and Hall of Fame-bound Spurs forward Tim Duncan each got a piece of the ball and deflected it into the basket off an inbounds pass.

Despite NOLA’s head-to-head success vs. San Antonio, the three prior games may not mean much, because both teams are dramatically altered in some fashion. The Spurs were just 20-14 on Jan. 1, but have gone a red-hot 35-12 since. The Pelicans were 16-16 when the calendar flipped to 2015, but made major improvements after acquiring starting small forward Quincy Pondexter in January, as well as reserve point guard Norris Cole at the February trade deadline.

“Both teams are different. They have different guys in their lineup; we have different players we’ve traded for,” Williams said. “If you look at the starting lineup and rotations from that (Dec. 31) game, they’re different.”

Jrue Holiday was the Pelicans’ starting point guard on New Year’s Eve and had 13 points and nine assists in 39 minutes, but a leg injury sidelined him Jan. 12. Having returned from injury for just two games, Holiday won’t come close to approaching that minute count, with New Orleans limiting him to roughly 15 a night. He was held out of Monday’s second game of a back-to-back at Minnesota as a precautionary measure, but will be available Wednesday vs. San Antonio.

“He’ll be ready to play tomorrow,” Williams said Tuesday. “He’s rested and still on a minute restriction, but he should be ready to play, unless something happens between today and tomorrow.”

The Pelicans again dealt with an array of key injuries this season – including missing Holiday for 41 games – but now have one final chance to reach the playoffs. They’ll have to do so against the NBA’s defending champions, a veteran squad playing as well as anyone. Williams pointed out that in a way, the circumstances are fitting for a Pelicans team that’s had to scratch and claw for everything in 2014-15.

“You can’t get there in an easy way,” Williams said. “You can’t skip steps. I’ve been saying that forever. It’s just part of the deal. It’s just life. … If our guys succeed tomorrow in front of our fans, I think that will give me an unspeakable joy that you can’t describe – you just feel it. We knew this was the year we wanted to have a winning record and go to the playoffs. We have a shot."

monty-williams-believed-far-in-advance-that-season-finale-against-spurs-might-be-big-night-for-pelicans

Monty Williams believed far in advance that season finale against Spurs might be big night for Pelicans

It took months, but the New Orleans Pelicans finally achieved a 100 percent healthy roster in Friday’s 90-75 win over Phoenix, with the return of Jrue Holiday (stress reaction in right leg), who hadn’t played since Jan. 12. The timing couldn’t have been any better, because with their playoff hopes hanging in the balance over the next five days, the Pelicans (43-36) are in a flat-footed tie with the Oklahoma City Thunder (43-36).

It’s important to note that New Orleans owns the tiebreaker, giving it a slight – but potentially pivotal – advantage as both teams head into back-to-back games Sunday and Monday. The Pelicans’ magic number is down to 3, meaning any combination of New Orleans wins and Oklahoma City losses that adds up to 3 would clinch a playoff berth. On the other side of the ledger, the Thunder’s magic number is 4, which means if the Pelicans win out, OKC cannot make the playoffs. That won’t be easy – two of New Orleans’ three remaining games are against division rivals who will win in the neighborhood of 55 games and still have a chance to claim the Southwest title.

An interesting aspect of the final week is that New Orleans and Oklahoma City will play simultaneously on all three nights, making what’s been an anxiety-filled race even more dramatic as it steams toward a conclusion. It’s possible that neither team will clinch before Wednesday’s season finales at the Smoothie King Center and Target Center, respectively, but it’s slightly more feasible that the Pelicans could wrap up eighth on Monday (the Thunder could do likewise, but they’d need to go 2-0 in their back-to-back, combined with the Pelicans going 0-2).

Here’s a look at the remaining games for the two teams, as well as what’s at stake for their opponents – an important late-season consideration, as clubs position for the playoffs or get ready for the offseason (all times Central, all records entering Saturday):

Oklahoma City (43-36) at Indiana (36-43), 5 p.m.

Based on the Pacers’ overall record, at first glance this may seem like a favorable matchup for the Thunder, but Indiana suddenly is one of the NBA’s hotter teams, tied for the league’s second-best active winning streak at four (entering Saturday). The Pacers are 3-0 since the much-anticipated return from injury of Paul George, who’s averaging 11.0 points per game in just 14.7 minutes. If OKC loses, it’s impossible for it to clinch a playoff berth prior to Game 82. A victory would come close to ensuring it remains alive at least until then. Indiana is in a near must-win situation, trailing eighth-place Brooklyn (37-42) by one game in the East race.

New Orleans (43-36) at Houston (53-26), 6 p.m.

The Pelicans, who won 99-90 at the Toyota Center on Dec. 18, will try to become just the second team to prevail twice on Houston’s home floor this season (Golden State is the only club to do it). The Rockets, who are 28-11 in their arena, will have plenty of motivation, because they still can finish anywhere in the Western Conference playoff field from the No. 2 seed all the way to their current No. 6 slot. Houston is a game behind Memphis (54-25) for the Southwest Division lead – with 54-26 San Antonio sandwiched in between – but the Grizzlies still have tough games left at the Clippers and at Golden State. Incidentally, a Rockets loss in this game, combined with a Spurs home win over the Suns the same night, would eliminate Houston from division-title contention. Houston also has a chance to move up to the 5 seed, which could potentially bring homecourt advantage in the first round (more on that later).

New Orleans (43-36) at Minnesota (16-63), 7 p.m.

The Timberwolves have been out of contention for months, but due to the random nature of the NBA schedule, will get a chance to greatly impact who claims the No. 8 seed in the West, playing their final two games against the contenders. Barring a Sunday combination of a Pelicans loss and a Thunder win, New Orleans will have a chance to wrap up a playoff berth Monday, either by simply winning against the Wolves, or getting the combo of a win at Target Center and a Thunder loss to the Trail Blazers. Target Center has not been kind to the Pelicans in recent years, but they posted a 92-84 victory there Jan. 23. Minnesota remains one of the most injury-hit teams in the entire NBA, playing without numerous key contributors.

Portland (51-28) at Oklahoma City (43-36), 7 p.m.

Based on their status as Northwest Division champions, the Trail Blazers are just about locked in as the West’s No. 4 seed, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have anything to play for in the final days. If Portland ends up in the 4-5 first-round matchup but finishes with a worse record than the No. 5 seed, the Blazers will not have homecourt advantage in that series. They probably need to win out to make it happen, but it’s still possible for them to open Round 1 at home if they receive help in various combinations of other games. Right now Memphis, San Antonio, the Clippers and Houston all have either 25 or 26 losses and could each end up either 2, 3, 5 or 6 in the West seedings. Memphis faces the Clippers on Saturday, guaranteeing that one of those teams dips a loss closer to Portland.

San Antonio (54-26) at New Orleans (43-36), 7 p.m.

At one point recently it seemed likely this game wouldn’t hold much import for the Spurs, but a 10-game winning streak has moved them within a half game of first place in the Southwest Division. If they win Sunday vs. the Suns, they will be 55-26, prior to getting three days to prepare for the Pelicans.

Even if the Spurs don’t have a chance to win the Southwest on Wednesday, it’s still possible homecourt advantage in the first round will be at stake for them. Does that matter to a team that has already won five NBA championships since 1999? Will Gregg Popovich rest several key players regardless of seed considerations? Hard to say. But even if the Spurs decide to sit some of their accomplished veterans, they’re ultra-deep and playing the best basketball of any NBA team right now.

Oklahoma City (43-26) at Minnesota (16-63), 7 p.m.

Two nights after hosting the Pelicans, the Wolves will try to head into the offseason on a positive note against the Thunder. Unless a total of four outcomes all go in its favor Sunday and Monday, this will be either a virtual or absolute must-win situation for OKC.

with-three-games-left-deadlocked-pelicans-and-thunder-prepare-for-simultaneous-back-to-backs-on-sunday-monday

With three games left, deadlocked Pelicans and Thunder prepare for simultaneous back-to-backs on Sunday, Monday

By the time the New Orleans Pelicans return home on Easter Sunday from a three-game road trip, their status could range from being the Western Conference’s eighth-place team, to being virtually mathematically eliminated, to somewhere in between. Given the wide spectrum of possibilities, it’s no exaggeration to say that the trek to the Pacific Time Zone may ultimately be the defining moment of the 2014-15 regular season.

The Pelicans (39-34) will still have a total of six regular season games to play following the three away contests against the Lakers, Sacramento and Portland – and they have zero control over how current No. 8 Oklahoma City (42-32) fares. But New Orleans can at minimum put itself in position to play meaningful games until the final week by compiling a successful road trip.

The Pelicans were unable to do so March 19-22, when they dropped games at Phoenix, Golden State and the Clippers, but help may soon be on the way. Sixth-man catalyst Ryan Anderson (right knee MCL sprain), who has been sidelined since Feb. 21, hopes to be able to return on the trip, perhaps as soon as Wednesday at Staples Center. His playing status will be determined and announced earlier in the day.

“That’s my hope, my plan. I’m going to be back on this road trip. That’s my full intention,” Anderson said. “God willing. Hopefully everything goes well (Tuesday in practice), and if it does, then I’m going to go try to definitely play on this road trip from the beginning.”

Meanwhile, point guard Jrue Holiday (stress reaction, lower right leg) has been progressing in his attempt to return from injury, which has kept him out since Jan. 12. Although there’s no specific target date, Pelicans Coach Monty Williams said he anticipates that Holiday’s injury won’t keep him out for the rest of the regular season. Whether Holiday can return in time to impact the Pelicans’ pursuit of the Thunder remains to be seen, but New Orleans players know a postseason berth is still a distinct possibility. NOLA owns the tiebreaking advantage on OKC, which means that a 3-0 road trip – combined with Thunder defeats Wednesday vs. Dallas and Friday at Memphis – would put the Pelicans in eighth place by Easter morning.

“I just want the city to believe in us and everyone to believe in us, because we’re really making a hard push and it’s realistic that we can make the playoffs,” small forward Quincy Pondexter said.

New Orleans also has a chance on the trip to get to 42 victories and clinch a winning record for the season, something the franchise last did in 2010-11, when it went 46-36 during Williams’ first season as sideline boss. Pondexter was a rookie on that squad.

“We’re still in this race. We want to fight for that and work for that,” Anderson said. “But ultimately we just want to get better as a team. Each game, if we focus on that and the next day, and we continue to improve and get wins, before you know it it’s going to end up good for us, if we keep improving and playing well. This is a stretch of games where we need to play our best basketball to get to the playoffs. There’s no other way around it.”

A closer look at the road trip, which will feature three late-night tip-offs for fans watching along the Gulf South:

Wednesday, April 1, at Los Angeles Lakers (9:30 p.m. Central, Fox Sports New Orleans)

Dating back to 2002-03, the New Orleans franchise has never swept the Lakers, although it should be pointed out that in some of those seasons, the teams only met two or three times. Either way, New Orleans can wrap up a 4-0 head-to-head sweep of Los Angeles. None of the three previous games in 2014-15 were very competitive, with the Pelicans prevailing by an average of 13.3 points, including a 104-87 victory at Staples on Dec. 7. The Lakers (20-53) have had no defensive answer for Anthony Davis, who has averaged 25.7 points and shot a scorching 69.4 percent from the field.

Lakers player status notes: Carlos Boozer is listed as questionable. He has missed three straight games with a respiratory issue. … Jeremy Lin has missed the past two games due to illness. … Nick Young is hoping to return to the court by the end of the season. He hasn’t played since Feb. 22… As you probably already know, Kobe Bryant is out for the season, as are Steve Nash, Julius Randle and Ronnie Price.

Friday, April 3, at Sacramento (9 p.m., Fox Sports New Orleans)

The road team won the first two games of the Pelicans-Kings season series, but New Orleans gained a 2-1 edge with a 102-88 home victory Friday. The Pelicans also won at Sleep Train Arena by a 106-100 margin Nov. 18. Sacramento (26-47) has the West’s third-worst record and doesn’t have a lot to play for from a tangible standpoint, but the Kings still have a chance to post 30 wins for the first time since the 2007-08 season.

Kings player status notes: ESPN.com reported Monday that Sacramento is considering shutting down DeMarcus Cousins for the remainder of the season, a decision opposing NBA bigs would welcome. Cousins has been dominant vs. New Orleans, averaging 28.3 points and 16.3 rebounds. … Rudy Gay suffered a concussion Monday and won’t play Wednesday vs. Houston, according to the website Cowbell Kingdom. … Point guard Darren Collison, a former New Orleans player, is expected to miss the rest of the season.

Saturday, April 4, at Portland (9 p.m., Fox Sports New Orleans)

Moda Center was the site of what may have been New Orleans’ most excruciating road defeat of the season Nov. 17. The Pelicans led 80-68 through three quarters, but the Trail Blazers used a 34-13 final-period edge to win 102-93. Portland (48-25, current No. 4 seed in West) also handed New Orleans its second-most one-sided home loss of 2014-15, a 114-88 rout. The Blazers, 30-7 at Moda Center, are locked in a tight battle with the Clippers for homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Trail Blazers player status notes: Wesley Matthews is out for the season with a torn left Achilles. Portland trade acquisition Arron Afflalo has moved into Matthews’ starting role.

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Three-game West Coast trip could dramatically impact New Orleans postseason hopes

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