New Orleans Pelicans vs Brooklyn Nets
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, January 12, 2017
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN New Orleans, YES (Brooklyn)
PREDICTION: Pelicans 116, Nets 106

NEW YORK — The New Orleans Pelicans held their breath when Anthony Davis took a hard foul and crashed into the front row of the stands at Madison Square Garden Monday.

Opposing defenders hold their breath and hope for the best each time Davis touches the ball near or around the rim.

Other than hope, there is little stopping Davis this season and the center looks to have another stellar performance if he plays Thursday night when the Pelicans visit the Brooklyn Nets.

Davis is listed as questionable with a left hip injury he sustained from a flagrant two foul from New York forward Kyle O’Quinn in the closing minutes of the third quarter of a 110-96 win. Davis hit two free throws after getting fouled and exited the game with 40 points and 18 rebounds.

“Sore, sore,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said of Davis’ condition after the star did not do much in practice Wednesday. “We weren’t going to have him do a whole lot today. He’ll get treatment all day today and then tomorrow morning we’ll see how he feels.”

The Pelicans did not need the 23-year-old to play the fourth as they turned in one of their best games from start to finish.

“I was being aggressive,” Davis said. “I know where we are as a team, what we’re trying to do as a team. I just tried to come out aggressive. That was it.”

Davis’ aggressiveness resulted in his fifth game with 40 points this season, his 25th double. He came within four of his career high for rebounds and finished 14 of 22 from the floor.

Davis’ performance helped the Pelicans (15-24) win for the fifth time in their last eight games. During one of the Pelicans’ best stretches of the season, he is averaging 26.8 points, 16.1 rebounds and shooting 51.2 percent (80 of 166).

“When he’s playing at a high level, it shows where our team is at,” New Orleans rookie guard Buddy Hield said.

Despite Davis getting 40 points and over 15 rebounds in the same game for the sixth time, the Pelicans still are digging out of a 2-10 start, which morphed into a 9-20 hole before the current improvement.

If he plays, Davis will be looking for his first 30-point game against the Nets. In six games against Brooklyn, Davis is averaging 18 points with three double-doubles and has yet to score more than 24 points against the Nets.

He will also be looking to help the Pelicans continue playing somewhat improved defense. Monday was the 15th time, New Orleans allowed less than 100 and it is 9-6 when doing so.

“We have to play the way we played (tonight on the rest of the road trip). I thought we were efficient offensively. Our defense has been pretty solid the last two or three weeks. I’ve been happy with that, but we’ve struggled offensively (recently),” Gentry said.”

The Nets (8-29) are on their second seven-game losing streak of the season and their fourth since the start of last season. Brooklyn is 4-25 in its last 29 games and 1-12 in its last three since a 10-point win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 14.

Brooklyn has led the league in pace most of the season but its offense is faltering at times to go along with the league’s worst scoring defense (114.1 points per game). Since beating the Lakers, the Nets have been held under 100 six times and shot less than 45 percent eight times.

The latest instance was a 117-97 wire-to-wire loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night. The Nets shot 40.2 percent and committed 18 turnovers.

Brook Lopez led the Nets with 20 points and Bojan Bogdanovic added 16 but there was little other help offensively. While Lopez and Bogdanovic were a combined 13 of 24 from the floor, the rest of the team shot 34.9 percent (22 of 63).

It marked the seventh straight game where the Nets did not get two players with at least 20 points and also was Brooklyn’s 18th double-digit loss.

“They had more energy, especially the first half and they outworked us,” Lopez said. “And the numbers clearly show it.”

Trevor Booker did not play due to a left hip contusion but is expected to play Thursday. Booker is Brooklyn’s top rebounder at nine per game and a rebounding percentage of 17.3.

Without him, the Nets were outrebounded 33-22 in the first half and 53-48 overall Tuesday. Even when Booker is on the court, rebounding is among the many issues plaguing the Nets, who are 3-22 when getting outrebounded.

“I just keep harping on this, but I think rebounding is a team thing,” Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Where we are, I think we have to rebound better as a team, so not on person.”

New Orleans is 5-0 against the Nets since Feb. 9, 2014. Last season, Jrue Holiday hit the game-winner with one second left in a 105-103 home win on Jan. 30 and Tim Frazier totaled 19 points and 13 assists in a 106-87 win at Brooklyn on April 3.

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New Orleans Pelicans vs. Boston Celtics
When: 7:30 PM ET, Saturday, January 7, 2017
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN New Orleans, CSN New England (Boston)
PREDICTION: Celtics 122, Pelicans 112

Oddsmakers currently have the Celtics listed as 7½-point favorites versus the Pelicans, while the game’s total is sitting at 213.

BOSTON — Having dealt with one of the NBA’s prime young big men in Friday night’s win, the Boston Celtics see another one Saturday night when Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans visit TD Garden.

Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, just getting his NBA feet wet after his battles with injuries, was outstanding in just under 26 minutes Friday night. He scored 23 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the 110-106 loss to the Celtics.

Davis is another story entirely. He’s already a star and comes to town averaging 28.6 points, 12 rebounds, 2.54 blocks and 1.4 steals per game for the Pelicans (14-23).

He had 25 points and 16 rebounds the first time these teams met, in New Orleans on Nov. 14. The then 1-9 Pelicans beat the Celtics by a point even though Isaiah Thomas scored 37 points and dished out seven assists.

Friday night, the Celtics hit a club-record 19 3-pointers, four of them by big man Al Horford in the fourth quarter.

It was the third straight game they’ve either set or tied the mark (they had 17 in each of the previous two). They are 53-for-103 – 51.5 percent – from behind the arc in those games, all wins.

“They need every one of those threes (Friday) and I give them credit,” Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said. “That’s what they do.”

The Pelicans dropped a five-point decision at Atlanta Thursday, with Davis scoring 20 points and grabbing 19 rebounds and Jrue Holiday adding 18 points.

“We weren’t moving the ball,” Davis said. “We had 19 assists, but it felt like mostly one-on-one, then passing the ball. When we play one-on-one, we get a lot of bad shots.”

Said coach Alvin Gentry: “We had 19 assists, but that’s a bogus number really. A lot of them came from us trying to do too much and we lucked into finding an open guy to make a shot. It wasn’t a flow. It wasn’t anything that had a rhythm to it and we just never got that point in the game.

“Offensively, we’re just not moving the basketball.”

The Celtics (22-14) certainly are. They had 28 assists on 35 baskets Friday night (87 assists during the winning streak), as Avery Bradley scored 26 points and Thomas 24 for his 20th straight 20-point game.

Thomas is usually the man who does it for the Celtics down the stretch, but Friday night it was Horford.

“That guy’s a four-time All-Star. He’s won a ton of games, no matter where he’s been. He’s good – not worried about him,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said after the game.

The win was the ninth in the last 11 games for the Celtics, who have also finally figured out how to win at home. They have won four straight at TD Garden, lifting their record to 10-6 (12-8 on the road).

Stevens felt his team was out-toughed for the first 28 minutes of the contest before coming on, allowing the Celtics to escape on a night where they didn’t play their best game.

“Our grit shows,” said Marcus Smart, who had 14 points, eight assists and his usual stiff defense off the bench. “It showed what type of team we are. We stuck together. We didn’t stray away from the plan that Brad drew up for us and we just really trusted one another and the game turned around for us.”

The Celtics will again be without backup big man Tyler Zeller Saturday. Zeller missing his third straight game with illness.

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Two of the first topics Motiejunas discussed after his first practice with the Pelicans on Wednesday were the health of his back and the Pelicans’ playoff prospects, offering rosy outlooks on both fronts.

”I’m going to prove it when I get on the floor,” Motiejunas said when asked about fighting the perception that he’s been damaged goods since back surgery near the end of the 2014-15 season. ”I don’t see an issue to fighting through this.”

The versatile Lithuanian, who has left and right post-up moves, hits about 31 percent of his 3-point attempts and draws praise for his passing ability, also sees himself as a boost to the Pelicans’ playoff chances. New Orleans is eight games below .500 (14-22), but sat just two games out of the final Western Conference playoff spot heading into Wednesday night’s NBA slate.

When Motiejunas was asked whether he saw his stint with the Pelicans, which will pay him a pro-rated veteran minimum of about $600,000, as an audition for when he becomes a free agent again next summer, he answered by talking about team goals.

”I’m here to help the team win. I’m not here to look at my personal stats,” Motiejunas said. ”If this team is going to make the playoffs and I’m going to help them, it’s going to put my value up regardless.”

Motiejunas later added, ”As long as we’re going to stay healthy, this team right now can make a big push.”

A handful of teams expressed interest in signing Motiejunas, who has played four seasons in the NBA with Houston, averaging 7.8 points and four rebounds. They were all offering about the same pay because most teams at this point in the season are restricted to paying the NBA minimum for new free-agent acquisitions.

Gentry said the Pelicans had internal discussions about trading for Motiejunas last year and were pleased to be able to get him now in a low-risk, free-agent deal.

Gentry said the presence of Anthony Davis and up-tempo, evenly spaced offense the Pelicans run appealed to Motiejunas.

”The opportunity to play alongside a great player – obviously it makes the game easier,” Gentry said. ”The system that we run is something that was appealing to him.”

And for New Orleans, having a big-man with passing skills and shooting range helps Davis because he ”can take away some of the potential double-teams” that Davis might otherwise see.

Indeed, Motiejunas said his mission is to help Davis ”get wide open shots.”

”I’m a creator,” Motiejunas said. ”I can take the ball to the paint, force the defense to collapse on me and dish the ball to (Davis), and without a lot of energy waste he can get an easy bucket.”

The Pelicans have used a smaller, quicker lineup recently with the 6-11 Davis at center. It has paid off in the form of five victories in seven games. Gentry said Motiejunas will likely play center, but his ability to run and pass means a lineup shift, with Davis moving back to power forward, should not disrupt the rhythm with which New Orleans has played lately.

Davis agreed, saying Motiejunas has ”a high basketball IQ, but the thing that stands out to me the most is his ability to pass. … It gives me another opportunity to get out on the floor and roam, step out and shoot the ball, or be able to attack more.”

As a restricted free agent last offseason, Motiejunas signed an offer sheet from Brooklyn worth about $36 million over four years. Houston initially sought to match it, but ultimately allowed the 26-year-old to become an unrestricted free agent after negotiations broke down, in part because of the player’s history with back injuries. He played in only 37 games last season, but also only missed one regular season game after Feb. 27 and played in five playoff games.

Motiejunas said he’s been working out on his own in Vancouver the past five months and is in ”really good shape.”

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Philadelphia 76ers vs. New Orleans Pelicans
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, December 8, 2016
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TCN (Philadelphia), FSN New Orleans
PREDICTION: Pelicans 103, 76ers 101

Oddsmakers currently have the Pelicans listed as 9-point favorites versus the 76ers, while the game’s total is sitting at 205.

NEW ORLEANS — Their shared numbers are ugly and humbling.

At 4-18, the Philadelphia 76ers have the worst record in the NBA and have nine healthy players.

Losers of three straight games despite the presence of a league superstar, the 7-15 Pelicans own the sixth-worst record in the NBA and have the flesh wounds to prove it.

So when the Pelicans host the 76ers in a match of NBA bottom-feeders Thursday night at the Smoothie King Center, it’s natural to assume the worst — of both.

“It’s very frustrating, to be honest with you,” said New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry, whose team dropped a 110-108 double-overtime decision at home to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night despite Anthony Davis’ 28 points and 17 rebounds in 48 1/2 minutes. “I just had higher expectations and thought that we would have fewer injuries, to be honest with you.”

The Pelicans played without point guard Jrue Holiday in the Monday loss Memphis, and his absence was deeply felt. Holiday missed the first six weeks of the season while caring for his wife Lauren, who gave birth to their first child and then underwent successful surgery to remove a benign brain tumor.

When Holiday returned to the lineup, the Pelicans won a season-best five consecutive games at home, but Holiday sustained a turf toe injury during a Sunday night loss at OKC. The pain was so debilitating that Holiday could not push off on his left foot.

Holiday’s status for the 76ers’ game is uncertain.

“I didn’t know how excruciating it could be,” Holiday said on Wednesday. “People don’t understand that when you hurt your toe, you can’t do anything. If I could walk on my hands I would or if I could just cut it off it would be great.”

Amputation might be considered going a little bit beyond the NBA’s standard player’s contract.

While Gentry is trying to plug leaks in his lineup — guard E’Twaun Moore missed the Memphis game with a toe injury and forward Dante Cunningham has a broken bone in his leg — he is hoping his players can soldier through.

Little irritants have blossomed into bigger problems. The Pelicans held solid leads against Memphis at the end of regulation and at the close of the first overtime period but allowed the Grizzlies to make big shots to extend the game.

Gentry took the blame for one late-game snafu — he drew up an inbounds play that had the ball being thrown in from the opposite side of the court.

“One of them we drew up on the right side of the floor and the ball was on the left side,” Gentry said. “I take full responsibility for that. I’m not going to dodge anything.”

Davis leads the NBA in scoring (31.6) and blocks (2.81) and is sixth in rebounding (11.4), but his heavy lifting is beginning to wear him down. He also leads the NBA in minutes played (38.0).

“It’s just unfortunate for him because to me, he’s having an unbelievable, MVP season,” Gentry said. “When I think about what he’s done and the defenses he’s faced and still the numbers he’s put up — not just offensive numbers but being able to lead the league in blocked shots and being really solid defensively — it’s unfortunate.”

The Sixers had just nine players available in a 96-91 loss at Memphis on Tuesday night, and Jerryd Bayless (left wrist), Robert Covington (left knee sprain) and Jahlil Okafor (gastroenteritis) are not expected to join the team in New Orleans.

“This (was) our fourth game in five nights,” said coach Brett Brown. “We came down with nine guys, and you’re playing against a veteran, tough, playoff-hard Memphis team. I was proud of their effort.”

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Memphis Grizzlies vs. New Orleans Pelicans
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, December 5, 2016
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Memphis), FSN New Orleans
PREDICTION: Grizzlies 99, Pelicans 94</strong>

Reserve guard Troy Daniels was the latest to step up for Memphis with a career-high 31 points and Marc Gasol recorded 19 while JaMychal Green notched his second double-double (16 points, 13 rebounds). Daniels understands that with so many key players on the sidelines, someone needs to step up, and he is happy to take on a more prominent role. “I feel like I can make every shot that I take, and coach is giving me the green light,” Daniels told reporters. “My teammates are wanting me to shoot the ball and, obviously, I need to shoot the ball.” Despite 37 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks from Anthony Davis, the Pelicans dropped a 101-92 decision at Oklahoma City on Sunday to fall for the fourth time in five games.

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (13-8): Gasol has stepped up his game in the wake of the many injuries – as well as a personal leave for fellow big man Zach Randolph – and a vastly improved perimeter continues to be the driving force. Gasol is 9-of-18 from long range over the course of a five-game stretch during which he is averaging 21.8 points. The native of Spain is shooting 55.8 percent overall during the streak and will be looking to make up for a sluggish effort against the Pelicans earlier this season (eight points, 3-of-18).

ABOUT THE PELICANS (7-14): Davis tied a season high by playing 43 minutes on Sunday and has seen at least 40 minutes of action in four of the last five games. His fellow starters combined to go 10-of-31 against the Thunder while averaging 27 minutes in a relative lack of support for their superstar forward. Rookie Buddy Hield, who has struggled mightily with his 3-point shot for most of the season, hit 4-of-7 on Sunday and scored 15 points in just 16 minutes off the bench.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Memphis has won six straight meetings overall – including an 89-83 triumph on Nov. 2 – and five in a row at home.

2. Hield recorded a season high-tying 18 points in the loss to the Grizzlies last month.

3. Randolph, who has missed six straight contests following the death of his mother, remains stuck on 999 career games.

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