New Orleans Pelicans drop third straight game, falling to the Washington Wizards

 

New Orleans returned to the Arena last night but it didn't help matters as the Pelicans dropped their third straight game, falling to the Washington Wizards 102-96. The Pelicans, who slipped to 15-19, return to action tomorrow night hosting the Dallas Mavericks. The Pels' Eric Gordon finished with 23 points and four assists followed by Anthony Davis with 21 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Brian Roberts contributed 11 points, while Greg Stiemsma added 10. Former New Orleans' player Trevor Ariza netted a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds in the Wizards' victory followed by John Wall with 20. The Wizards, who improved to 16-17, out rebounded the Pelicans 46-37, including a 13-8 advantage on the offensive end to gain the victory.   

New Orleans Pelicans burned by the Miami Heat

Former New Orleans' center Chris "Birdman" Andersen (11) positions himself for a rebound in Miami's 107-88 victory over the Pelicans. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

The New Orleans Pelicans took it on the chin last night being burned by the two-time defending NBA champion Miami Heat 107-88 at the American Airlines Center despite a quality double-double by Anthony Davis, who scored 22 points with 12 rebounds seven on the offensive end. Davis also contributed three steals and two blocks. The Pelicans, 15-18, dropped their 14th game in 16 outings against a team with a winning record, concluding a four-game road swing going just 1-3. The Pelicans look to end their two-game losing streak tonight, hosting the 14-17 Washington Wizards at the Arena in a 7 o'clock tip off. The 27-8 Heat upped their home record to 16-3 winning their fifth straight contest over New Orleans. LeBron James poured in 32 points and Dwayne Wade finished with 22. Former New Orleans' center Chris "Birdman" Andersen netted 15 points with seven rebounds, two assists and a block. The Pelicans got 15 points from Eric Gordon, while Pelicans' center Jason Smith returned to the lineup after missing four games and scored eight points with four rebounds. The Pels played without Ryan Anderson, who is out indefinitely with a herniated disk. Anderson was leading the Pelicans with a 19.8 point per game scoring average. Anderson was connecting on 40.9 percent of his three-point attempts and 95 percent from the free throw line.

New Orleans Pelicans downed by Dallas Mavericks

New Orleans Pelicans' player Al-Faroug Aminu (0) battles with Dallas forward Dirk Nowitski for a loose ball in Wednesday night's 100-97 loss to the Mavericks in the Arena. Aminu registered a quality double-double with 16 points and 20 rebounds. Photos by David Grunfeld,Nola.com/The Times Picayune.

Pelicans' point guard Jrue Holiday (11) pushes the ball up court being tracked by the Mavericks' Gal Mekel (33) and Samuel Dalembert (1) during Wednesday's contest. Holiday netted 26 points with nine assists.

The New Orleans Pelicans dropped a close one last night in the Arena being edged by the Dallas Mavericks 100-97 as a final 3-point attempt by Ryan Anderson bounced off the back of the rim at the the buzzer. The Pelicans wasted an outstanding double-double effort by Al-Faroug Aminu, who delivered a superb outing, collecting 16 points and 20 rebounds. Aminu also pulled down 20 rebounds in his last meeting in April with the Mavericks. Anderson, one of the leagues' top 3-point shooters, registered a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds, while Jrue Holiday delivered a solid performance with a season-high 26 points and nine assists. Holiday's fourth quarter shooting and 10 points kept the Pelicans in it down the stretch in a game which featured 19 ties and 10 lead changes. Pels' coach Monty Williams said,"Our bench didn't give us what we typically need to get from them. A lot of that's because Ryan Anderson is in the starting lineup  and that offsets a bit," Williams added. Anderson, who is starting due to the injury of Anthony Davis, who will be out 4 to 6 weeks with a fractured left hand, is in the starting five. The Pelicans' bench accounted for just 10 points on a poor shooting performance, hitting on only 2-of-17 feild goal attempts. Dallas, 12-8, got 21 points from the reliable Dirk Nowitski. The 9-9 Pelicans' three-game winning streak was snapped last night. The Pelicans return to action tomorrow night, hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder and the league's leading scorer Kevin Durant, averaging 28.3 points per contest.  

Pelicans down Utah Jazz behind Anthony Davis

  

Pelicans' guard Tyreke Evans drives to the hoop in Wednesday night's 105-98 victory over the Utah Jazz in the Arena. Evans scored 13 points with five rebounds, four steals and four assists. Photo by Brett duke, NOLA.com/The Times Picayune

The New Orleans Pelicans delivered last night downing the Utah Jazz 105-98 in the Arena before a crowd of 13,203 behind a strong performance from Anthony Davis, who dropped in 22 points with nine rebounds. Davis controlled the paint blocking a career-tying eight blocks. He established that mark Saturday in a 135-98 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Ryan Anderson playing in his second game back from a toe
injury contributed 19 points with five rebounds. Anderson connected on 4-of-6 three-pointers,
while Tyreke Evans chipped in with 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals. The Pels' bench outscored the Jazz' bench 45-33. The Pelicans, 5-6, host the Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow night in the third
game of a four-game home stand at the Arena.  

Pelicans hosting Utah Jazz

Pelicans' forward Ryan Anderson made an immediate impact in his first season action scoring 26 points in the team's 135-98 win Saturday over the Philadelphia 76ers.

The 4-6 New Orleans Pelicans return to the hardwood tonight, hosting the Utah Jazz with a 7 o'clock tip off in the Arena. The Jazz defeated the Pelicans 111-105 in their first meeting back on Nov. 13 in Utah. The Pelicans are coming off a dominant 135-98 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in which Ryan Anderson, making his first appearance this season after suffering a broken toe, dropped in 26 points. Anderson hit six 3-pointers. Anthony Davis netted 14 points with nine rebounds and a career-high eight blocks, playing less than three quarters against the 76ers. Pelicans' point guard Jrue Holiday contributed 14 points and 12 assists against his former teammates. Holiday was traded to the Pelicans during a draft night deal.  

Pelicans snap three-game losing streak in rout over 76ers

The New Orleans Pelicans broke a 3-game losing streak Saturday night cruising to a 135-98 drubbing of the Philadelphia 76ers in the Arena. Ryan Anderson made his first appearance after missing the first nine games with a broken toe and made the most of it pouring in 26 points as he clicked on six 3-pointers. Anderson tallied 14 points in the first 14 minutes as the Pelicans built a 30-point first half advantage. Anthony Davis contributed 13 points, nine rebounds and a career-high eight blocks, playing less than three quarters. Point guard Jrue Holiday, who was traded by the 76ers on draft night, finished with 14 points and 12 assists
against his former team. The Pelicans, 4-6, host the Utah Jazz, Wednesday night with a 7 o'clock tip off. 

Pelicans fall to Phoenix Suns on the road

The New Orleans Pelicans suffered a 101-94 road loss yesterday to the Phoenix Suns. It was the
second time the Pelicans have lost to Phoenix, falling 104-98 back on Nov. 5. Jason Smith topped the Pelicans with 22 points and eight rebounds last night. The Pels slipped to 3-4, while Phoenix improved to 5-2. The Pelicans knocked off the Los Angeles Lakers 96-85 at the Arena Friday night. The Pelicans take on the Lakers tomorrow night in L. A.

Pelicans drop first preseason game to Heat

The New Orleans Pelicans unbeaten streak in the preseason was halted at six games last night in the Arena as the visiting Miami Heat took a 108-95 victory led by one-two duo LeBron James with 27 points and Dwayne Wade, who dropped in 25. Chris Bosh, the other member of the Heat,  big trio, finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
The 6-1 Pelicans placed five players in double figures led by Eric Gordon with 19 points,  hitting on 3-of-7 three-pointers, who was playing in his third consecutive game, but it wasn't enough. Anthony Davis chipped in with 18 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Anthony Morrow continued to put the ball in the hoop
with 16 points followed by Jrue Holiday with 12 points and six assists, while Ryan Anderson added 10 points. The Pelicans downfall was a sub-par fourth quarter in which they were outscored by the Heat, 31-13.
Heat center Greg Oden, who has was drafted as the first overall pick out of Ohio State in 2007, has battled numerous injuries and is attempting a comeback. His last game was  Dec. 2009, playing for the Portland Trailblazers. Oden played four minutes making his only shot and pulled down two rebounds for the 4-2 Heat.  
The Pels close out their successful preseason  tomorrow night in  Orlando, taking on the Magic.

Pelicans hosting Mimai Heat in Arena

 

                              Miami Heat's LeBron James. Photo courtesy of the Miami Heat.

The unbeaten 6-0 New Orleans Pelicans face a major challenge tonight as they host the
defending champion Miami Heat and King, LeBron James in the newly renovated arena. Tonight's
contest tips off at 7 o'clock and it is the Pelicans' first home game this preseason.
Miami enters tonight's tilt with a 4-2 mark. James is averaging 12.8 points per game in five contests, pulling down four rebounds with 4.4 assists.
The Pels' Anthony Davis has been consistent through out the team's six-game winning streak, averaging 22 points per game, playing just over 28 minutes per contest. Davis has averaged 6.3 rebounds per game with two blocks. Shooting guard Eric Gordon has played in two consecutive games, averaging 18.5 points per game, playing 22.5 minutes per outing. Ryan Anderson is third on the team, scoring 13.8 points per game. The Pelicans have gelled early on with their new-look roster as head coach Monty Williams has his team focused on playing tough defense.

Pelicans travel to Orlando

The New Orleans Pelicans are off to a quick 2-0 start in the preseason as the new members of the
roster work together to become a fluid squad. Coach Monty Williams said recently his team has
to focus on playing better defense and keeping opponents out of the lane.
The Pelicans return to action tonight for their third consecutive road contest, facing off with
the Orlando Magic. The Pelicans opened the preseason Saturday night in Houston, earning a
116-114 victory over center Dwight Howard and the Rockets, following up with a 94-92 squeaker
over Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks on Monday.