New Orleans Pelicans' East Coast Trip Could Brighten New Year
With a recent three game winning streak and a set of games against the Eastern Conference to start the new year, the New Orleans Pelicans’ could see a nice light to 2017.
Things are looking up for the New Orleans’ Pelicans.
After defeating the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night and the New York Knicks two days later, the Pelicans are now on a four-game winning streak. They find themselves just three games out of the Western Conference’s eighth seed.
In a season that already seemed over just a few weeks ago, things are taking a sharp turn toward the positive in New Orleans. The upcoming schedule could continue to shift the hopes forward.
The Pelicans will play their next 11 games against Eastern Conference foes. New Orleans has already experienced strong success in that category, with a 7-3 record against the opposite conference.
It is easy to see how this could bring big hopes for the next few weeks of Pelicans basketball.
The slate of teams is not a cake walk, however. New Orleans is set to play seven games against current East playoff teams. That includes two matchups each with the Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers and battles with the Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls. The other four games are against the Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers and two games versus the Brooklyn Nets.
The Pelicans will also deal with plenty of road contests over this defining stretch, as six of the eleven games are away from home. That also includes five games in a row in the cities of Boston, New York, Brooklyn, Chicago and Indiana.
However, it’s not just the Eastern Conference horizon that has fans buzzing. It’s something the New Orleans have not had in a very long time:
Health!
The New Orleans Pelicans are near full health for the first time in years, and their play is showing just that. In the past 10 games, the Pelicans are 6-4 and have scored at least 100 points in nine of those contests. New Orleans finally looks like the team fans were hoping.
Anthony Davis is now not only finding his groove of dominating the stat sheet, but is finding wins alongside it. Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans are finally getting healthy and showing what they can do on the floor– it seems to be all coming together. The East Coast trip, if the Pelicans play to their potential, should perpetuate the optimism.
It may be a little early to predict a change on the New Orleans Pelicans’ horizon. However, this team looks completely different, and that’s in a good way. The offense is clicking, and the defense is holding its own against strong, capable NBA teams. This East coast trip will be a big sign to show if the Pelicans are ready to leap towards a possible playoff seed. For now, fans can enjoy the fun New Orleans is having and get excited for a lengthy set of games against the teams of the Eastern Conference.
More from Pelican Debrief
This article originally appeared on 
