NBA Power Rankings week 16: OKC Thunder and teams post deadline
22-31. Previous: 18th. New Orleans Pelicans. 18. team. 69.
New Orleans Pelicans:
Offense: (110.0) Tied 17th
Defense: (112.1) 23rd
Net: (minus -2.1) 19th
Results Week 16: (2-1) Won vs. Bulls: 125-119, Pacers: 124-117, Lost vs. Bucks: 108-120
Games Week 17: (2 games) Tues vs Blazers | Thurs vs Thunder
With Zion Williamson in the rotation, the Pelicans are waging a run at the bottom of the ladder. A few words of caution, however. First, while Zion is feasting and seemingly impossible to stop his defense gives way to his rookie self (albeit the refs sure are letting him get away with a ton of things on the court!).
And, while the Pelicans are winners of six of their last 10 games it’s important to note who those four losses are against – the Spurs, Nuggets Rockets and Bucks.
That seems to speak to the fact the Pelicans might well be a team on the rise but they still struggle against the elite in the West.
In week 17, they’ll face the OKC Thunder and Blazers – one team on the ladder and one ahead of them in the standings vying for the same berth the Pelicans are.