New Orleans Pelicans Alvin Gentry of the New Orleans Pelicans (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
The New Orleans Pelicans return home after going 0 for a road trip for the second time this season.
The New Orleans Pelicans are 10-10 on the season. That means they are not too good, but not too horrible either. Just average. But one aspect of their play has been horrible. Their atrocious road record.
After their latest defeat to the Washington Wizards, the Pelicans road record fell to an abysmal 2-9 on the season. By contrast, the Pelicans are 8-1 at home, with their only defeat coming with Anthony Davis not in the lineup.
“We’re not coming out with the same energy as we do at home, especially in the first quarter,” Anthony Davis told reporters after the game. “We get so far behind that the game has to go perfect for us. We tend to come back but when you’re playing on the road, it’s tough to win on the road as it is.”
Davis lamented this after a recent loss to the Philadelphia 76ers and the truth behind this is staggering. The Pelicans have only lead after the first quarter in 3 of the 11 road games they have played this season. By contrast the Pelicans have led in 7 of the 9 home games this season after the first quarter.
Can the Pelicans just bring gumbo everywhere to simulate being at home? That won’t be necessary as the Pelicans play five of their next seven games at home in the Smoothie King Center. At just 10-10 on the season, it’s imperative the Pelicans keep pace in the crowded Western Conference.
Only four games in the loss column separate the first place Golden State Warriors from the 14th place Utah Jazz. Both teams have already beaten the Pelicans this season. With rumors circulating around the future of Anthony Davis, the Pelicans need to ensure this season doesn’t become lost sooner rather than later.
In order to do that, the New Orleans Pelicans must make sure they take care of their business on the road, so they can keep AD at home.