The Toronto Raptors are set to visit the New Orleans Pelicans for a 7 p.m. tip-off on Sportsnet One on Saturday, the final game of a three-game road trip that has Toronto stuck with a big zero in the win column so far. It’s the final such trip of the season for the Raptors, as from here, it’s all ones and twos at home or away, making for a travel-heavy close to the season without much time to practice.
But hey, at least they have enough bodies to practice, if they wanted to. Unlike the Pelicans, who are down to using rec league players on short notice after losing six (!) players for the season. That doesn’t even include the oft-injured, minutes-restricted Jrue Holiday, who could get a stress reaction in a bouncy castle. What’s been going on in New Orleans on the injury front is some insane kind of voodoo.
But hey, it’s not like the Raptors are turning in their very best ball this week. Last night’s loss to Houston was pretty unsightly, with the team’s stars losing their composure late after struggling most of the night. Norman Powell and Jonas Valanciunas stepping up in their stead was a good look and might be enough Saturday, but the Raptors won’t win many nights when Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan combine for 33 points on 41 possessions. It was just a bad night, and they get another shot 23 hours later.
To help set the stage, we reached out to Mason Ginsberg of Bourbon Street Shots, who was kind enough to answer some questions.
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Blake Murphy: The big story in New Orleans is, of course, Anthony Davis getting shut down. It sucks, but at 26-45, with a lottery pick to jockey for, and the potential for Davis missing an All-NBA team to save the franchise some cap space for years…there is a major silver lining here, right?
Mason Ginsberg: I think that’s the way you have to look at it. Ignoring the nervousness that accompanies any sort of injury requiring surgery and a lengthy recovery time, the immediate impact for the Pelicans is a positive one for the two main reasons you noted. A lineup without AD (among others) is a lineup likely to lose, and Davis’ shot at the Rose Rule max declines with every game he misses. Additionally, there may be a third benefit, though less likely – a chance for guys like Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca to start to restore their market value through more consistent playing time, as it is probably in the Pelicans’ best interest to try to move at least one of them in the near future.
Blake Murphy: Davis isn’t the only one down. Ryan Anderson, Norris Cole, Tyreke Evans, Eric Gordon, Quincy Pondexter, hell, even Bryce Dejean-Jones succumbed to injury. Who is to blame for this terrible stretch of bad luck?
Mason Ginsberg: This question has quickly become my least favorite one to entertain this season because I have no way to confidently answer it. It is impossible to deny that there is a clear pattern/trend regarding the rash of injuries in New Orleans, but blaming it on any one entity would be irresponsible. The Pelicans’ medical staff certainly could have performed better on the whole, but unless they plan on retroactively releasing the kind of information that they publicized regarding the Anthony Davis diagnosis, then your guess is as good as mine.
Blake Murphy: All of those injuries have opened up a bit of opportunity around the roster, and the most intriguing beneficiary appears to be Tim Frazier. I’m a big believer that Frazier is an NBA talent. What have you seen from him so far, and is there a chance the Pelicans look to lock him up?
Mason Ginsberg: Frazier has indeed impressed, posting a PER of 20.9 in his first five games with New Orleans. He has done a good job of putting pressure on defenses while also being unselfish with the basketball. That being said, he likes the “long 2” game a little much for my taste, and at 6’1”, he really can’t play with another smaller guard. Regardless, he has given a reason to watch as a depressing season comes to a close, and an equally strong finish could earn him a spot on the Pelicans’ roster beyond this spring.
Blake Murphy: Injuries and ineffective play have conspired to see the Pelicans go 3-11 over their last 14. Is there much specific a team can gameplan for with the Pelicans in the shape they’re in, or do you just have to make sure you compete and let talent win out?
Mason Ginsberg: For a team like the Raptors, talent should really be enough at this point. With almost every core New Orleans player confirmed to be out except Jrue Holiday (who is listed as “TBA”), the Pelicans hardly have more talent than a D-League team. Of course, that’s what we said before they played the Clippers last Sunday, and yet NOLA somehow came out on top! (But seriously, the Pels likely don’t have much of a chance in this one.)
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Raptors updates
DeMarre Carroll is out, Terrence Ross is questionable with a thumb injury (he sat Friday), and someone might see some rest on the second night of a back-to-back.
PG: Lowry, Cory Joseph, Delon Wright
SG: Powell, (Ross)
SF: DeRozan, James Johnson, Bruno Caboclo
PF: Luis Scola, Patrick Patterson, Jason Thompson
C: Valanciunas, Bismack Biyombo, Lucas Nogueira
We’ll know more maybe 90 minutes before the game. Or 60. Or 30. Damn sneaky Raptors.
Pelicans updates
Oh god, what a mess. Let’s hit them in a list for easy keeping.
Ryan Anderson (groin) could be done for the season
Anthony Davis (shoulder, knee) is definitely done
Bryce Dejean-Jones (wrist) is out for the year, too
Tyreke Evans (knee) is, as well
Eric Gordon (finger) ain’t walking through that door
Quincy Pondexter (knee) got injured trying to walk through it
Norris Cole (back) is questionable
Jrue Holiday (toe) a game-time decision
What. A. Mess.
The Pelicans signed former Raptors training camp player Jordan Hamilton to a 10-day contract. He’s…fine. He’s a warm body, anyway. The rotation might look something like this:
PG: (Holiday), Frazier, (Cole)
SG: Toney Douglas, Alonzo Gee
SF: Luke Babbitt, Hamilton
PF: Dante Cunningham
C: Asik, Kendrick Perkins, Ajinca
Ugh.
The line
The game’s currently off the board with so much up in the air. The Raptors should definitely win.
