New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans bring a bold mix of Southern flair and next-generation basketball to the NBA. Based in the vibrant city of New Orleans, the Pelicans play their home games at the Smoothie King Center, where passionate fans fuel the team’s intensity every night. Since rebranding in 2013, the franchise has embraced a fresh identity centered around resilience, athleticism, and a deep connection to its community. With young stars leading the charge and a culture built on hard work and heart, the Pelicans are determined to rise in the Western Conference and make their mark on the league.
Norman Powell caught fire from long range Sunday night, drilling a career-best nine 3-pointers and pouring in 34 points to lead the Miami Heat to a 125-106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Powell was highly efficient, connecting on 11 of 15 shots overall and going 9-for-12 from beyond the arc. Nikola Jovic added 19 points, while Kel’el Ware recorded a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds as Miami bounced back from a home loss to Minnesota that ended a four-game winning streak. Pelle Larsson chipped in 16 points and six assists. Miami seized control midway through the third quarter. Clinging to a one-point lead early in the period, the Heat erupted on a 21-2 run, highlighted by three Powell triples. Bam Adebayo capped the stretch with a 3-pointer that pushed Miami’s advantage to 91-71 with just over four minutes remaining in the quarter. Trey Murphy III returned after missing one game with back spasms and led New Orleans with 27 points. Jeremiah Fears contributed 21, but the Pelicans struggled to keep pace after halftime. Zion Williamson scored 12 points before the break but was shut out over the final two quarters. The Heat dominated in transition, holding a 31-11 edge in fast-break scoring, and forced a season-high 24 New Orleans turnovers while coming up with 19 steals of their own. The loss dropped the Pelicans to 2-13 away from home and extended their losing streak to seven games. Miami guard Tyler Herro was active but did not play, sitting out his 11th straight game due to a right toe contusion. Herro previously missed the first 17 games of the season following offseason foot and ankle surgery and is averaging 23.2 points in the six games he has appeared in.
NEW ORLEANS — Deni Avdija delivered a standout performance with 34 points and 11 assists as the Portland Trail Blazers pulled away from a short-handed New Orleans Pelicans squad for a 122–109 win Friday night. Portland seized control in the second quarter and never relinquished the advantage, earning its third win in the past four games. Donovan Clingan finished with 11 points and 15 rebounds, including heavy work on the offensive glass, while Shaedon Sharpe added 23 points. Caleb Love knocked down six shots from beyond the arc and finished with 22 points. Zion Williamson led all scorers for New Orleans with 35 points, but the Pelicans were unable to halt their sixth consecutive loss. Tookie Jeremiah Fears contributed 18 points, while Jordan Poole and Karlo Matkovic chipped in 16 apiece. Kevon Looney recorded 12 rebounds. The Trail Blazers connected on 16 of 47 three-point attempts, while New Orleans struggled from long range, converting eight of 30. Portland also capitalized on extra opportunities, scoring 24 second-chance points and turning 15 Pelicans turnovers into 23 points. Despite being without Saddiq Bey, Trey Murphy III, and rookie Derik Queen, New Orleans opened the game efficiently, shooting better than 59 percent in the first quarter and scoring 37 points. However, missed free throws limited the margin. That early momentum faded in the second quarter as the Pelicans went cold from the perimeter and managed only 18 points. Portland responded with a strong push, taking a 63–55 lead into halftime behind Avdija’s 23 points in the opening half.
CHICAGO — Isaac Okoro turned in his best scoring night of the season with 24 points, while Tre Jones recorded a 20-point, 12-assist double-double to lift the injury-riddled Chicago Bulls past the New Orleans Pelicans 134–118 on Wednesday night. Chicago was without its two leading scorers, Josh Giddey and Coby White, both sidelined after suffering injuries in Monday’s loss to Minnesota and expected to miss multiple games. Despite the absences, the Bulls received balanced production throughout the lineup. Matas Buzelis finished with 19 points, Nikola Vucevic added 17, and Jalen Smith posted 14 points and 14 rebounds. Every Chicago starter scored in double figures, and the bench provided additional support as Ayo Dosunmu, Kevin Huerter, and Patrick Williams all reached that mark as well. Zion Williamson paced New Orleans with 31 points, frequently attacking the rim, while Jordan Poole supplied 26 points off the bench. The loss extended the Pelicans’ skid to five games. Chicago pushed the tempo throughout the night, generating 25 fast-break points and matching New Orleans’ physicality inside, narrowly trailing 60–56 in paint scoring. The Bulls also capitalized at the free-throw line in a game that grew increasingly physical, converting 25 of 34 attempts after an uneven first half from the stripe. Holding a 97–90 advantage entering the final quarter, Chicago quickly created separation and stretched the lead to as many as 17 points. Giddey (left hamstring tightness) is scheduled for reevaluation in two weeks, while White (right calf tightness) is expected to be checked again in one week, according to the team. Center Zach Collins, who missed Monday’s contest with a sprained right toe, will be reevaluated in 10 days. Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado missed the game while serving the second contest of a two-game suspension related to an altercation with Phoenix center Mark Williams last weekend. Chicago carried a 67–62 lead into halftime, fueled by 16 first-half points from Okoro. Williamson countered with a strong stretch late in the second quarter, scoring nine straight points as part of his 20-point opening half.
NEW ORLEANS — Zion Williamson matched his season best with 29 points Monday night, helping the Pelicans snap a nine-game skid with a 143–130 win over the Bulls—their first victory under interim head coach James Borrego. Saddiq Bey posted 20 points and 14 rebounds and knocked down two crucial threes in the closing minutes after New Orleans saw an 18-point lead with just over five minutes remaining shrink into single digits late. As the final seconds ticked away, the home crowd rose to its feet, celebrating the team’s first win since Nov. 5 in Dallas—a stretch that included the dismissal of head coach Willie Green when the Pelicans sat at 2–10. Borrego secured his first victory in his sixth game at the helm, powered by one of the Pelicans’ most balanced offensive outings of the season. New Orleans (3–15) had eight players score in double figures: Trey Murphy put up 20, Jose Alvarado added 16, Yves Missi recorded a 14-point, 14-rebound double-double, Bryce McGowens chipped in 11, and Micah Peavy scored 10. Chicago was led by Ayo Dosunmu’s 28 points, while Coby White added 24. The Bulls hit 20 of 50 from long range, with Josh Giddey contributing 21 points, Jalen Smith 13, and Tre Jones producing 10 points and 11 assists off the bench. New Orleans built its largest lead at 22 late in the second quarter, when Murphy converted a reverse layup through contact for a three-point play that pushed the margin to 55–33.
NEW ORLEANS — Jalen Brunson delivered another late-game takeover, finishing with 28 points and 10 assists as the New York Knicks pulled ahead in the closing minutes to secure a 130–125 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night. Brunson sealed the outcome with a pair of baskets in the final moments, helping New York extend its winning streak to three. OG Anunoby contributed 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Karl-Anthony Towns recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 boards. Mohamed Diawara added a career-best 18 points in just his third career start. New Orleans was led by Zion Williamson, who posted a season-high 32 points. Saddiq Bey and Jordan Poole each finished with 26, and Trey Murphy III chipped in 21 as the Pelicans dropped their fourth consecutive game. The contest remained tight throughout, with neither team building a double-digit advantage. Both offenses were clicking early, as the Pelicans carried a 75–72 lead into halftime with each team shooting at least 50 percent from the field. Defense tightened after the break, though the score stayed close down the stretch. With 3:36 remaining, the game was knotted at 117 following consecutive three-pointers from Poole and Brunson. Brunson later grabbed his own miss from deep and converted a running floater near the baseline to put New York ahead 124–121 with just over a minute left. After Williamson answered at the free-throw line, Brunson drove for a layup, and Deuce McBride, who scored 14 points, iced the game by knocking down four free throws in the final 16 seconds. Diawara made an immediate impact early, scoring 13 points in the opening quarter after never previously topping five points in a game. Bey was also hot early, pouring in 23 points in the first period. Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado, a New York native, did not play while serving the second game of a two-game suspension related to an altercation with Phoenix’s Mark Williams over the weekend.
NEW ORLEANS — Devin Booker finished with 20 points and delivered two key jumpers late as the Phoenix Suns pulled away in the closing minutes to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 123–114 on Saturday night, completing a sweep of the back-to-back series. Phoenix spread the scoring around, with seven players reaching double figures. Dillon Brooks scored 18 points, Collin Gillespie added 17, Jordan Goodwin contributed 16, and Royce O’Neale chipped in 15. New Orleans was paced by Trey Murphy III with 24 points, while Zion Williamson provided 22 off the bench on efficient shooting. Rookie Derik Queen recorded 21 points and 11 rebounds, Jeremiah Fears finished with 18 points, and Saddiq Bey added 17. Tensions rose in the third quarter after the Pelicans used a 12–2 run to pull within two at 73–71. Following a stoppage in play, Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado and Suns center Mark Williams became involved in an altercation and were both ejected. The incident began when Williams, listed at 7-foot-1, set a screen on the 6-foot Alvarado. Alvarado responded by shoving Williams, and after the whistle, Williams pushed back, escalating into a brief fight that drew officials and teammates to intervene.
NEW ORLEANS — Kristaps Porzingis poured in 29 points and reserve guard Vit Krejci delivered a breakout performance with 21 points on seven made threes, helping the Atlanta Hawks roll past the struggling New Orleans Pelicans 115–98 on Saturday night. Jalen Johnson nearly posted a triple-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists as Atlanta halted a two-game losing streak and improved to 8–3 on the road. Dyson Daniels, a former first-round pick by New Orleans in 2022, added 14 points and eight boards for the Hawks. The Pelicans, playing their fifth game in a grueling seven-night stretch, dropped their ninth straight and slipped to 2–15 on the season. Porzingis connected on 11 of 17 shots, while Krejci was 7-for-10 from long distance, giving Atlanta a much-needed scoring punch after a sluggish start. Trailing early, the Hawks took control by outscoring New Orleans 67–45 in the second and third quarters. Johnson fueled the turnaround, scoring nine straight points during a 15–4 burst that put Atlanta ahead 42–36 midway through the second. Johnson finished the quarter with 11 points, and Porzingis added 14 as the Hawks ramped up their defensive pressure—forcing seven turnovers in the period and closing the half with a 35–21 advantage to go up 56–46.
Mavericks Fall 101–99 to Pelicans The Dallas Mavericks came up short against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night, 101–99, as Cooper Flagg’s potential game-winner at the buzzer missed its mark. It was a tough night all around for Dallas (2–6), whose struggles started early and lingered throughout. The Mavericks opened the game shooting just 27 percent in the first quarter and managed only two makes inside the paint through the first 18 minutes. Turnovers proved costly late, with Dallas giving the ball away seven times in the fourth quarter alone as both teams traded the lead multiple times down the stretch. Those miscues allowed the Pelicans (2–6) — playing without Zion Williamson and on the second night of a back-to-back — to pull out the win. Saddiq Bey paced New Orleans with 22 points and nine rebounds, setting the tone early in what became a scrappy contest. For Dallas, it was another frustrating performance in a stretch full of growing pains. Below is a closer look at how each Maverick performed in a game that got away in more ways than one.
Hornets Let Late Lead Slip in Loss to Pelicans The first half was a roller coaster for Charlotte. The Hornets came out strong behind Kon Knueppel’s early scoring and hot perimeter shooting, quickly building a comfortable lead that hinted at another routine win over a struggling opponent. But once the rotations shifted, everything changed. The Pelicans found their rhythm from beyond the arc while the Hornets’ offense sputtered. Turnovers piled up, transition defense broke down, and an 18-point swing erased Charlotte’s advantage by the middle of the second quarter. The Hornets regrouped slightly before halftime but still trailed heading into the break. Charlotte carried some of that late-half energy into the third, retaking the lead and holding it for much of the second half. But the final minutes told a different story. The offense completely stalled, producing as many turnovers as made shots in the fourth quarter. The Hornets went scoreless after the 3:41 mark, leaving the door wide open. Jose Alvarado buried a step-back three to put New Orleans on top, and Trey Murphy III iced the game at the line. A hurried three-point attempt from Miles Bridges came up short, sealing another frustrating late-game collapse for Charlotte.