The Philadelphia 76ers and the Pelicans are limping to the season’s finish line, and they will meet Monday night in New Orleans.
The Sixers (23-48), who have lost 19 of 22 games after a 132-119 defeat at Atlanta on Sunday, have lost stars Joel Embiid and Paul George to season-ending injuries. And Tyrese Maxey has missed the last 11 games and is unlikely to play Monday.
The Pelicans (19-53) have lost nine of 11 after a 136-130 setback at Detroit on Sunday. They played without leading scorer Zion Williamson, who missed his second straight game because of a back contusion. His status for Monday is unclear, as is that of center Yves Missi (hip soreness).
New Orleans traded Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors last month, and Trey Murphy III and Dejounte Murray are out because of season-ending injuries.
The Pelicans have sustained a series of lopsided losses this month, including a 134-93 setback at Minnesota on Friday.
But they performed much better on Sunday. CJ McCollum scored 28 of his 40 points in the second half and finished with seven assists. The Pelicans set a franchise record with four players having at least seven assists.
“It’s the way we want to play,” New Orleans coach Willie Green said. “The guys played together and shared the ball. That was fun to watch, but we still came up short.”
Second-year guard Jordan Hawkins tied his season high with 25 points, making 6-of-11 3-pointers. New Orleans made 20 of 40 shots from beyond the arc for the game.
“It shows that we’re more than capable of playing fast, sharing the basketball, driving, kicking, shooting quality 3s when they’re available,” Green said. “It allows us to have a chance to win some of these games.”
But the Pelicans didn’t win in part because they allowed 66 points in the paint and gave up 40 free throws while shooting just 16, leading to a 17-point disadvantage at the foul line.
“That’s a big difference,” Green said.
Philadelphia trailed by as many as 27 points and allowed more than 130 for the third time during a four-game losing streak.
Still, coach Nick Nurse said he was satisfied with his patchwork group’s effort while being outmanned.
“I think they’ve played really hard even when they’ve had tough moments,” Nurse said. “We’re doing everything we can to try to keep them fighting, and they are, and I give them a heck of a lot of credit for that because it’s not easy.”
One bright spot during the team’s skid has been rookie guard Justin Edwards, who is averaging 21 points during the stretch after scoring 22 on Sunday. He has shot 50.8 percent (31 of 61) from the floor and 48.1 percent (13 of 27) on 3-pointers.
“I think his confidence level is at a really great place,” Nurse said. “I think he really tries to do the right thing and make the right plays.”
The Pelicans have been eliminated from playoff contention, and the Sixers, who are concluding a six-game road trip, almost certainly are headed to the same result.
–Field Level Media
