After a strong win against the visiting Atlanta Hawks, the Los Angeles Lakers are hitting the road again. To start off a four-game road trip, the team will visit the New Orleans Pelicans.
In the lone matchup between the two teams thus far, LA was able to get the 126-99 win on the road.
But the Pelicans are a changed team now. Not only do they still have their productive superstar in Anthony Davis, but they finally have his primary sidekick in Jrue Holiday. The point guard missed the beginning of the season as his wife, Lauren Holiday, gave birth to their child and recovered from a brain tumor. Fortunately, she is now healthy and Jrue has been able to return to basketball.
Upon Holiday’s return, the Pelicans won four straight (including impressive victories over the Blazers, Hornets, and Hawks) before dropping their last two. Holiday adds a whole new dimension to this team as a point guard who does a great job of running an offense while being disruptive on the other end of the court.
In fact, over their last six games with Holiday back in the fold, the Pelicans are third in the league with a net rating of 7.8 (meaning they have outscored opponents by 7.8 points per 100 possessions).
The Lakers will have their hands full with New Orleans, especially without D’Angelo Russell and potentially without Julius Randle. As usual, it will be up to the bench to provide the fireworks, and they can easily be the cause for a victory.
The Pelicans are still not very deep and their bench can be exposed with the Lakers’ squad. Against the Hawks, the bench unit not only brought the Lakers out of an early hole, but it added to the lead and finished off the game. Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance, Jr., and Lou Williams should all have effective games if the Lakers are to pull off the win on the road.
The game will tip off at 5:00 PM PST on Spectrum SportsNet.
