April 7th - New Orleans Pelicans vs New York Knicks - 41-39

[Pelicanidae]

Final home game of the regular season. Time to pack the SKC 🏠

🕖: 7:00pm CT
📺: Bally Sports NO
📻: @995WRNO#Pelicans | @SmoothieKing pic.twitter.com/xpjkiRywGY

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) April 7, 2023

Penultimate game of the year, and our last home game of the regular season. Can the Pelicans pull out a win against a 47-33 Knicks team who has won their last 5 straight? It will be a real challenge.

Let's see what happens. The Pels need to win out their final 2 games in order to have any chance at a top 6 seed. This is not likely, but while it's still on the table the guys should be fighting like hell. If you can avoid the play-in, that's glorious.

[luckyman]

Unfortunately looks like it's going to take a MAJOR upset for the Pels to reach 5 or 6. And even staying at 8 will come down to a road game in minnesota.

[Pelicanidae]

Unfortunately looks like it's going to take a MAJOR upset for the Pels to reach 5 or 6. And even staying at 8 will come down to a road game in minnesota.

Oh absolutely. It's extremely unlikely we make 5 or 6. But while it's still mathematically possible, it should be the target - maximum success should be the goal in every player's mind going into a game.

If I remember rightly (and there's every possibility that I do not!) the Pels need to win both of the remaining games, and then both Golden State and LAC need to lose at least one game in order for us to get 5th seed. If Golden State also win out, (so Pels 2-0, GS 2-0, LAC 1-1) then we get 6th. Any other result is play-in.

Please can someone let me know if I'm remembering that wrongly?

[luckyman]

Oh absolutely. It's extremely unlikely we make 5 or 6. But while it's still mathematically possible, it should be the target - maximum success should be the goal in every player's mind going into a game.

If I remember rightly (and there's every possibility that I do not!) the Pels need to win both of the remaining games, and then both Golden State and LAC need to lose at least one game in order for us to get 5th seed. If Golden State also win out, (so Pels 2-0, GS 2-0, LAC 1-1) then we get 6th. Any other result is play-in.

Please can someone let me know if I'm remembering that wrongly?

Thats pretty much correct.

And would otherwise be possible, except for the fact LAC and the Warriors are playing lottery tanks or locked in playoff teams.

This is what happens when you can't make a free throw, or can't hold a lead against a lottery team. Or have your 2 best players miss half the season. Each.

[P_B_&_G]

Oh absolutely. It's extremely unlikely we make 5 or 6. But while it's still mathematically possible, it should be the target - maximum success should be the goal in every player's mind going into a game.

If I remember rightly (and there's every possibility that I do not!) the Pels need to win both of the remaining games, and then both Golden State and LAC need to lose at least one game in order for us to get 5th seed. If Golden State also win out, (so Pels 2-0, GS 2-0, LAC 1-1) then we get 6th. Any other result is play-in.

Please can someone let me know if I'm remembering that wrongly?

That looks correct. The tiebreakers are what pushes us ahead of everyone else. Our only hope is that the Suns decide not to sit everyone for these last 2 games.

[P_B_&_G]

On the bright side, the Knicks may sit people for us tonight.

[luckyman]

On the bright side, the Knicks may sit people for us tonight.

No Brunson, Barrett, or Mitchell Robinson. Pretty much every locked in team is doing this these last 2 games so.... welcome back to the play-in pelicans.


Griff also intimating it's Zion who is holding back.

"He hasn't been quote, reinjured. He's never even reported soreness. It's more like a hesitancy you can see," Griffin said. "I think we went through this before with Brandon Ingram, when he said, when I feel like me, I'll play. You can see when somebody is trusting it and confident, and he's not in that space right now."

[Mrakar]

Game tonight means nothing for Pels.
Suns are sitting their guys which means Lakers will win. I dont expect Warriors or Clippers to lose either which makes win tonight against Knicks pointless. It will be fight for #8 spot on Sunday @ Wolves.

[Pelicanidae]

Game tonight means nothing for Pels.
Suns are sitting their guys which means Lakers will win. I dont expect Warriors or Clippers to lose either which makes win tonight against Knicks pointless. It will be fight for #8 spot on Sunday @ Wolves.

Lakers game is actually entirely inconsequential for whether or not we make 5th or 6th seed, since in the LAL-LAC-PEL triangle we have the tiebreakers of relevance.

[As I See It]

Lakers game is actually entirely inconsequential for whether or not we make 5th or 6th seed, since in the LAL-LAC-PEL triangle we have the tiebreakers of relevance.

What about a LAL-LAC-PEL-GSW Quadrangle? How does that shake out?

[urboyJD]

What about a LAL-LAC-PEL-GSW Quadrangle? How does that shake out?

Pels come out ahead there.

[P_B_&_G]

Tonight's game is huge for us. If we lose tonight it could mean dropping to 9th. We must absolutely win these last 2 to ensure a 2 loss elimination and a potential home game versus losing once in a home game and being out. 7th and 8th must lose twice to be eliminated. 9th and 10th only have to lose once. 8th and 9th need to win one out of 2 to advance with at least one home game. 9th and 10th need to win 2 to advance with the second coming on the road for either team.

[Pelicanidae]

Herb just put in a nice up and under, he's looked so good lately on offense, confident

[Pelicanidae]

Team looks super confident so far tonight, obviously still early. BI to the line with FTs

[Pelicanidae]

Herb drives in from 30 feet for the dunk in traffic, he's looking hot again

[Pelicanidae]

Trey with the steal and an and-1

[Pelicanidae]

Josh Hart checks in and gets applause and cheers

Hartenstein and Toppin both have 2 early fouls, so it could be a point of principle to go at them as hard as possible later on

[Pelicanidae]

I hate seeing missed opportunities.

Trey just made a great route in transition, he was totally open for the lob basically unchallenged, and CJ just completely missed it.

[Pelicanidae]

Losing things a bit now, part of it is some of their shots just falling but we're also playing with less discipline on defense and the passing hasn't been as dynamic on O

[Pelicanidae]

Typical Pels. Start the game up 8-0, end the quarter down 3.

[Pelicanidae]

Trey with a few quick buckets to get us back ahead and leading.

Some nice Naji passes too

[Spec3333]

CJ just overpowered Obi Toppin in the paint for a bucket

[hornetsrebirth]

Pels are starting to do a better job of collapsing the defense and making the right passes

[Pelicanidae]

Trey filling the Herb role from last game as ''guy who keeps us in it by scoring 20+ in the first half''

[Pelicanidae]

CJ evens it

Tied at the half