Suns at Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans are battling for the final playoff spot in the
Western Conference and look to move closer to landing it when they host
the Phoenix Suns on Friday. New Orleans is tied for eighth place in the
West with Oklahoma City and holds the tiebreaker after sweeping the
season series with the Thunder.
Phoenix has collapsed with seven losses in its last eight games and has been eliminated from the playoff race. The Pelicans have won five of their last seven games but were drilled 110-74 by Memphis on Wednesday in their worst loss of the season, and it came one night after a huge win over the Golden State Warriors. “We can’t make excuses; everyone’s tired this time of year,” New Orleans power forward Anthony Davis told reporters. “Tough game (Tuesday) night against the best team in the league, and we put a lot into that game, but that would be a cop out to say that’s why we played like we did.” Phoenix was in contention most of the season but midseason trades of guards Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas partially sealed its fate.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Arizona (Phoenix), FSN New Orleans
ABOUT SUNS (39-40): The revamping Phoenix did during the season revolved around Brandon Knight (ankle) making an impact, but the point guard has missed 13 of the last 14 games and probably won’t play again this season. Knight’s absence and the recent struggles of backcourt mate Eric Bledsoe (no 20-point outings over the last eight games) hindered the Suns from making a final charge. “It’s been a difficult year of having a lot of different guys and having trades in the middle of the year,” Phoenix coach Jeff Hornacek told reporters. “For the most part, these guys have been battling. Our guys are young and they’re learning how to win.”
ABOUT THE PELICANS (42-36): New Orleans knows it let an opportunity get away against the Grizzlies and that it also improved Oklahoma City’s chances of sneaking into the last spot. “We’re still right there tied with Oklahoma City for the eighth spot, we just have to keep on pushing,” guard Eric Gordon told reporters. “These are some big games coming up for us and we just have to keep on grinding.” Gordon has averaged just 10 points on 8-of-25 shooting over the last two games after averaging 21.5 points and going 8-of-14 from 3-point range over the previous two contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Suns are 5-1 against the Pelicans during Hornacek’s two seasons as coach.
2. Davis (ankle) missed the March 19 contest when New Orleans dropped a 74-72 decision to Phoenix.
3. Phoenix has lost 13 of its last 17 road games.