Los Angeles Lakers: 3 Keys to beating the New Orleans Pelicans
By Ethan Temkin
Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers will be visiting Davis’ former team, the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday night. In a game full of emotions on both sides, here’s three keys to victory for the Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers are absolutely rolling, sporting the best record in the league at 15-2, and are currently on an eight-game winning streak. They’ll be looking to make it nine in a row when they take on the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday night at 6:30PM (PST) in a Thanksgiving-eve matchup.
Obviously the biggest storyline heading into this game is Anthony Davis’ return to the Big Easy after being traded to the Lakers earlier this year. Given the circumstances surrounding Davis’ departure from the team, you can expect the New Orleans crowd to be fired up.
For the Pelicans, this also marks the first time the Lakers’ young core of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart will be facing off against the team that traded them. Ingram has been especially dominant so far for the Pelicans, averaging 26.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists, as a clear No. 1 option.
Looking at the numbers, the Pelicans are 10th in offense rating and 27th in defensive rating, which is par for the course for an Alvin Gentry coached team. However, the team plays an incredibly uptempo style of ball, ranking 3rd in pace. They have an incredibly young, and athletic group of players that love to get up and down the floor. For a Lakers roster that’s on the older side, they may have some trouble keeping up.
On the injury front, the Lakers are still without Avery Bradley, but everyone else is projected to be healthy for this matchup. The same can’t be said for the Pelicans as the team has been hit hard by the injury bug. The team’s most prized piece, No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson has yet to play a single game after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery earlier this year. In addition Josh Hart (knee/ankle), Derrick Favors (back), and Jahlil Okafor (ankle) are all questionable for Wednesday’s matchup.
With all of that in mind, here’s the three keys to victory for the Los Angeles Lakers.