Nets at Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans were able to survive one game without stars Anthony Davis and Tyreke Evans, but they hope to get one - or both - back in time for Saturday's meeting with visiting Brooklyn. Davis (concussion) and Evans (knee) sat out a 114-105 victory over Sacramento on Thursday but have been upgraded to questionable for the Nets game.
Ryan Anderson had a big performance (36 points, nine rebounds) while starting for Davis and Bryce Dejean-Jones - signed Jan. 21 to a 10-day contract - scored 14 points in his first career start in place of Evans. The win was the Pelicans' first in six games without Davis this season and gave them a 4-1 mark on their season-high seven-game homestand. The Nets opened a two-game trek with a 91-79 loss in Dallas on Friday, their 12th setback in 14 games. They were 4-of-20 from 3-point distance and shot a season-low 35.9 percent overall while falling to 4-17 on the road.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), FSN New Orleans
ABOUT THE NETS (12-35): Injuries have left Brooklyn's already-lackluster roster an exceptionally thin one, and the bench continued to disappoint in a major way in Friday's loss. No reserves scored until Andrea Bargnani hit a jumper early in the fourth, which was the only basket made in 14 attempts by the bench. All five starters hit double figures, led by Brook Lopez's 20th double-double (28 points, 12 rebounds).
ABOUT THE PELICANS (17-28): New Orleans has had at least 111 points in each game on the homestand and stands 3 1/2 games out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference, a notable development for a squad that opened 1-11. "We're playing a lot better, playing more as a team and I think we're more familiar with the offense,'' guard Jrue Holiday - who scored 25 points against the Kings - told reporters. ''Being home, we've been playing hard and playing really good defense and just playing for each other. If we keep doing that, I think we can be where we want to be at the end of the day.'' Anderson is 14-of-28 from 3-point distance over his last three games and hits 43.4 percent of his long-range attempts at home.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Pelicans PG Norris Cole has scored in double figures in a season-high four consecutive contests.
2. Nets SF Joe Johnson has made 20 consecutive free throws.
3. Davis averaged 26 points in a six-game hot stretch before suffering the concussion in a collision with Evans in Monday's loss to Houston.