Two banged up teams will try to turn it around when the New Orleans Pelicans host the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. The Lakers, who will try to avoid losing a season-high sixth straight game, suffered another significant loss when reserve forward Tarik Black was injured late in Monday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns. The Pelicans played the same day without their top two scorers in Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday and lost to the New York Knicks, as New York ended its franchise-record 16-game losing streak.
New Orleans will be playing the middle game of a three-game set against the bottom team in the East and the two bottom teams in the West, but is off to a poor start after losing to the Knicks with Holiday missing his fourth straight game (ankle) and Davis (toe) his third. Ryan Anderson moved into the starting lineup in place of Davis and seemed uncomfortable in that role, shooting 3-for-13 from beyond the 3-point arc and 4-for-17 overall. Tyreke Evans has looked strong starting in place of Holiday, especially the last two games, combining for 49 points.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TWC SportsNet (Los Angeles), FSN New Orleans
ABOUT THE LAKERS (12-30): Starting point guard Jeremy Lin has been attacking the basket with vigor lately and he’ll look to continue that aggressiveness, especially if the Pelicans are without Holiday and the Lakers are without Kobe Bryant, who has been resting his 36-year-old body the last two games and four of the last six. Nick Young shot 7-for-12 and scored 24 points against the Suns, his most efficient game in more than a month. He missed the first meeting against the Pelicans this season with a thumb injury and shot 3-for-13 in the second, both losses.
ABOUT THE PELICANS (20-21): Like he has done against most opponents, Davis dominated the Lakers in the two previous meetings this season, totaling 25 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks in the first and 23 points, six rebounds and two blocks in the second, when the Pelicans took a 20-point lead into the fourth quarter. New Orleans has been getting solid play from starting center Omer Asik lately and his backup, Alexis Ajinca, has also been playing well, averaging 15.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in the last three games to inch his season averages to 5.4 points and four rebounds a game. If Davis continues to be out, the Pelicans may consider starting Ajinca alongside Asik and moving Anderson back to the bench.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pelicans have not been more than two games above or below .500 this season.
2. Young has made 78 of his last 81 free throws, including all 13 on Friday against the Utah Jazz, becoming the fourth player this season to make at least 13 without a miss.
3. Lakers F Jordan Hill has 14 games with double figures in points and rebounds, one shy of his career high.