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Game Preview: New Orleans Pelicans continue road trip against New York Knicks

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:17 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Brendon Kleen/FanSided via Pelican Debrief

Dec 30, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) dunks over New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) during the fourth quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Knicks 104-92. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Pelicans (14-24) continue their East Coast road trip as they take on the New York Knicks (17-20) at Madison Square Garden.

The New Orleans Pelicans have been gifted with an almost entirely inferior slate of Eastern Conference opponents in their season-defining roadtrip. After beginning the trip against the Celtics, they take on New York, Brooklyn, Chicago, and Indiana before returning home against Orlando next week.

Avoiding the top tier of East teams is a blessing for a team finally making strides. Playing a New York Knicks team they’ve already beaten handily once this year is something even better.

More from Pelican Debrief

In that game, one of the first in which the Pelicans turned fully toward “small ball”, a balanced performance (six players in double figures) won the game for the Pels. The switchable defensive front of Anthony Davis, Solomon Hill, and Dante Cunningham held Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis to 16-42 shooting, and the rest of the team was unable to overcome an unimpressive night from their stars.

Tonight, the Pelicans may be better suited reversing course slightly, taking advantage of the two former Rockets on their roster: Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas. The Knicks’ frontcourt has become more formidable in recent weeks, with starting center Joakim Noah averaging 8.6 points and 11.4 rebounds in his last five games. Behind him, both Kyle O’Quinn and Willy Hernangomez have improved throughout the season.

Simply put, they’re a massive team; Porzingis and Anthony are starting a position up from what they’re capable of playing, and even their wings (Courtney Lee, Justin Holiday, etc.) possess above-average size. The same argument could perhaps be made of the Pelicans, but their frontcourt rotation has recently consisted of Davis, Hill, Cunningham and… that’s about it.

Terrence Jones has played less than twenty minutes per game for as long as I can remember, and teams are starting to expect the switchy Pelicans’ defensive versatility. They understand that if they can win the rebounding battle and score points, the Pelicans won’t be able to keep up.

All of it amounts to this: Anthony Davis’s dry spell has to see new rainfall if the Pelicans are to win tonight. It’ll be a down-low battle all night.

Jan 19, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) brings the ball up court in front of New Orleans Pelicans forward Dante Cunningham (44) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Who, When, Where and How to Watch

When and Where: The game will be played at 6:30 p.m. CT in New York

How To Watch: The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports New Orleans and NBA League Pass.

Injuries: 

New Orleans:  Quincy Pondexter (Left Knee) is out.

New York: None.

Probable Starting Lineups:

New Orleans: PG Jrue Holiday, SG Buddy Hield, SF Solomon Hill, PF Dante Cunningham, C Anthony Davis

New York: PG Derrick Rose, SG Courtney Lee, SF Carmelo Anthony, PF Kristaps Porzingis, C Joakim Noah

Other Players to Watch: 

New Orleans: E’Twaun Moore, Tyreke Evans, Terrence Jones, Langston Galloway, and Donatas Motiejunas

New York: Brandon Jennings, Lance Thomas, Kyle O’Quinn, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Justin Holiday, and Willy Hernangomez

What’s Next for the Pelicans?

The New Orleans Pelicans get two days off in the Big Apple before playing the Nets in Brooklyn on Thursday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.

Dec 20, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Terrence Jones (9) reacts to his score against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The New Orleans Pelicans won 108-93. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

All eyes must be on the rebounding battle at the Garden

The New York Knicks are fourth in the league in total rebounds per game, at 45.7. With a pace of 97.3 possessions per game, that number is not really inflated at all, especially compared to the Pelicans’ fast play.

For the season, that’s only about one rebound per game more than the Pelicans’ 44.6. However, the Pels are down to 44.0 per 100 possessions over their last five games. That number is clearly trending downward, and against teams like the Knicks, that will spell trouble. A fully-healthy Knicks squad is a handful up front, unmatched by nearly any in the league.

That’s where two guys mentioned in the first slide come into play: Jones and Motiejunas. They are very long and aggressive players, and fresher than guys like Davis and his fellow starters. The one-two punch of the former Rockets off the bench is a perfect foil for Davis’s skillset as a starter.

Against the Knicks, they will face O’Quinn and Hernangomez, two guys who provide value almost entirely through their hustle and energy off the bench. It may be in the Pelicans’ best interest to lean a little harder on Jones as a counterpunch to bench units like those– ask him to bang around down low for twenty minutes a game, using his fouls and holding back on offense.

Motiejunas’s role is less clear now, but he is a matchup problem already. Pair the two, and you have something interesting. The tools they bring count toward a spaced floor, a balanced style, and highly-skilled unit. The Knicks provide a fantastic early test for this version of the 2016-17 Pelicans.

The possibilities for these two, combined with the sheer power of Davis on both ends should be enough against a relatively equal team.

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