Pelicans vs. Lakers NBA Handicapping
The Lakers are hoping the momentum of a two-game win streak and being at home is somewhat of a tonic for a horrid season as the Pelicans come to town on Tuesday evening in Tinseltown. [ad-4468020]
Date/Time: Tuesday, March 4, 2014, 10:30 pm EST
Venue: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
Broadcast: NBA TV
Spread: New Orleans +2.5
Over/Under: 211.0
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It’s a good thing star power was abundant not only regularly in the stands at Lakers games, but for the Academy Awards in town a couple of nights ago; there’s been a notable absence of it on the court for the Kobe-less Lakers this season.
In a season that is worth little more than making cap space for the future and maybe tanking to get a good draft pick, the Lakers will welcome The Eyebrow (aka big man Anthony Davis) to the Staples Center, as the nearly-as-bad New Orleans Pelicans fly into southern California.
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The Lakers have been rolling out little more than a D-League squad this year, with star Kobe Bryant out with injury and impactful big man Pau Gasol only recently returning from the DL. The Spaniard has recently been playing like the Gasol of old, which is encouraging – for potential trade options if nothing else.
The aging trio of Gasol, Bryant and Steve Nash have spent more time in street clothes than suited up in recent memory, but a Pau resurgence and the slick ball distribution of youthful PG Kendall Marshall (9.2 APG) could bode well for L.A. with another mediocre opponent Tuesday night.
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From New Orleans’s perspective, as Davis goes, so does the team. The power forward averages a double-double per game in 2013-14; his long arms and freak athleticism for his size create problems for virtually everyone. The unfortunate news for the Pelly’s is that Davis generally has no help on the roster.
Yep, the depth in the Big Easy is almost as ugly as the franchise’s new logo, as the roster features guard Eric Gordon who can score, but is not doing so at his regular clip and a rather underwhelming Jrue Holliday.
One thing that will make this game worth tuning into is the match-up between the youthful Davis and the aging, cagey veteran Gasol. Both are masters of their craft and it’s a great showdown amongst a pair of rosters that feature mostly unheralded players. The Pelicans are lying in the reeds waiting to build a team around Davis, while the future for the Lake Show is more uncertain.
The Lakers are still the Lakers in terms of prestige, and SoCal will always be a free-agent destination, but with Gasol maybe on the trade block and the futures of greybeards Bryant and Nash very much up in the air, the Lakers must throw big dollars at some free agents in the next offseason or two.
This past season-and-a-half has been proof that every team – even the Lakers – goes through peaks and valleys, and it’s a tough year for the Purple and Gold (incidentally, fellow Staples Center tenants the Clippers are on top of the world right now). But this makes for little more than intriguing context. In terms of tonight, New Orleans are losers of eight straight and I don’t really see that being fixed tonight, with a resurgent Gasol and some no-name Lakers players (Marshall, Wesley Johnson, Nick Young) playing above their heads lately. Look for the Lakers to pull out another ‘W’ on their home court and maybe providing some cold comfort to fans perhaps still nursing an Oscars hangover.
Lakers 98, Pelicans 91
