The New Orleans Pelicans are on a hot streak, having won four straight games to move up to 13th place in the Western Conference. If they are going to have a shot at making an improbable postseason run, the Pels have to keep their streak going against the Clippers, who currently hold the final play-in spot. But New Orleans is facing an uphill battle as they just played in Utah last night, while the Clippers haven’t played since Thursday.
To make matters worse, the Pelicans are dealing with an injury to Zion Williamson. The star power forward is listed as questionable after spraining his right ankle in the second quarter against the Jazz. He went straight to the locker room and was ruled out. He should be considered a game-time decision, but the fact that he is only questionable suggests that he has avoided the worst.
Trey Murphy & Dejounte Murray Both Available for Pelicans @ Clippers
On an even more positive note, the Pelicans are getting Trey Murphy back for the clash against the Clippers. The sharpshooter has been sidelined with a shoulder contusion since the All-Star break. Moreover, Dejounte Murray will also be available for his third game of the season. The 29-year-old had missed Saturday’s game against Utah as he is not ready to play on both legs of a back-to-back yet. Expect Murray to play around 25 minutes as he did in his first two starts since returning from an Achilles rupture.
This will be the first game Murray and Murphy will play this season. Head coach James Borrego will have fascinating decisions to make, especially if Williamson is also available. All three veterans should get the start, meaning that Saddiq Bey, who is averaging 25.2 points per game post-All-Star break, may move to the bench. DeAndre Jordan has been starting the last few games, moving Derik Queen to the bench. Whether that will continue when the Pelicans are at full strength remains to be seen.
The Clippers, on the other hand, have played just one game last week, allowing Kawhi Leonard to heal from his lingering ankle injury fully. He wasn’t on the injury report and should be good to go at Intuit Dome at 9 pm EST. Darius Garland, however, has yet to make his Clippers debut and remains out. Starting power forward John Collins is also a game-time decision with head and neck injuries after suffering a hard fall against the Lakers last week.