January 13th - New Orleans Pelicans @ Dallas Mavericks - 23-16

[Pelicanidae]

Zion Williamson out, three Pelicans questionable for Saturday's game#Pelicans | @MorrisBartLLC https://t.co/3dijAxLVHu

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 13, 2024

This is why I'm so confused about why everyone played yesterday. We knew we had a game today, we knew yesterday was the closest thing you actually get to a schedule loss, we knew that Dallas are a divisional rival, we knew that Dallas was going to be without Luka because that was reported in advance, and yet we played the schedule loss with everyone anyway and now guys are resting today in the game we should actually win.

Baffling, in some ways. Makes sense in others, but still, I don't like it overall.

Last game we lost. It is what it is. We got massively outrebounded, JV wasn't able to dominate the glass as much as unusual, BI couldn't get into a scoring rhythm, Trey Murphy shot 25% from 3, it wasn't great. Collective let-down, but these games happen.

Tonight, for the reasons listed above, you hope for a bounce back. Zion is out, but the other guys might play, and if they do, we should still be looking overcome a shorthanded Mavericks team. They currently share a 23-16 record, so this is an important game in the playoff standings overall, in addition to the divisional ones.

Let's see if the team can bounceback.

[Mrakar]

These type of decissions make difference between good and bad franchise. With our guys rested this could have been easy win. Right now i just hope no1 gets injured...

[As I See It]

It's time for 3M3 to start playing like 3M3. Thus far, I've found his play to very underwhelming on both sides of the court. You see flashes...but also see lots of crashes. His play, so far, has not proven to be up to the lofty extension numbers that have been floated.

Need to see more of DD. If Daniels could actually run the show, it would alleviate the double teaming of BI -- thus making #14 more effective as a scorer and secondary playmaker just like it has for CJ (PG, not Center, is this team's biggest deficiency as I have been saying forever. Ask Houston, Minnesota, Indiana and New York what a bonified PG has meant to them).

Hawkins needs 20+ minutes tonight. How Hawkins got virtually no time last night is a head scratcher; especially when he lit Denver up for 31 at their place in only his seventh game early in November and it was the first game of a b2b. Come on, Willie, you got to be better than that.

Above all else.....

DEFENSE...DEFENSE...DEFENSE!!!

[Mrakar]

Everyone out. Great decison yesterday, gj!

[6warddude]

hawkins should get about 35mins tonight....i guess our g-leaguers will get some run tonight....

[As I See It]

I betcha FOX-8 is delighted that the Big Three and 3M3 are taking the night off tonight and not last night.

[6warddude]

i guess herb figure he will take a day off also lol...

[stevemadden504]

I wish I knew nobody was playing before I placed my bets

[AussieHornet]

Go Dyson

[AussieHornet]

all of a sudden.....

[As I See It]

Go Dyson

Yeah, I wished they would've played him all 48 minutes.

[djrnno]

I haven't said that I hate NBA refs lately so I'm saying it now

[AussieHornet]

we fell apart when he went off

[As I See It]

we fell apart when he went off

Yeah, he was 'wasted' on the bench. As I type, his plus/minus is +15...leading the team

DEFENSE...DEFENSE...DEFENSE!!!

[stevemadden504]

Herb offense is looking like straight poo

[As I See It]

Herb offense is looking like straight poo

I agree; he didn't even block out on that free throw.

[RobertM320]

Outscored 17-3 by the Mavs in the last 4 minutes of the half. How do you hold a team to 37 points in 20 minutes, and then give up 17 in 4 minutes?

[JJackisangry]

I am more than baffled by the management decisions of these two games. So now everyone is unavailable for a game we have a better chance of winning with Luka out? Utterly confused

[AussieHornet]

pels are going to have to make a trade to get mins for hawkins

[RobertM320]

This bit with the refs waiting to see if shots fall before blowing the whistle for a foul is getting really out of hand. If its a foul, blow the whistle immediately!

[As I See It]

pels are going to have to make a trade to get mins for hawkins

I agree. This being a contract year for Naji; I think he's gone.

[JJackisangry]

Regardless of the outcome of this game we are a clownshow from top to bottom. We have to plan this stuff better. It’s insane how we can get so many things wrong.

[stevemadden504]

This should be a kira game if we gonna try to get some trade value for him

[RobertM320]

This should be a kira game if we gonna try to get some trade value for him

Kira has no value. We'd have to tie picks to him to move him. A $5.7M waste of money.

[hornetsrebirth]

I thought we were supposed to get the games on Fox now? Its womens college basketball lol