Neither team gets a scheduling edge. Both played at home Wednesday, both get Thursday off, and both play their next game here. This is the next game on both schedules, so these rosters and the injury report are the main thing to watch over the next 48 hours.
Clippers123-139
New Orleans can't stop anybody right now. As of Wednesday the Pelicans have lost 4 straight, and the last 3 were 139-123 to the Clippers, the 51-point loss in San Francisco, and 145-111 at home to a Brooklyn team that came in 2-8. That's after an 0-4 start and a 4-game win streak, so the season has had some highs. The defense still has to show up eventually, and the first meeting suggests it won't be against Memphis: the Pelicans scored 135 in that game and still needed every point.
The Grizzlies' problem has been closing. In our recap of the Denver loss, Memphis trailed by 13 at the half, put up a 38-point 3rd quarter to cut it to 4, and then couldn't get any closer in the 4th. That was their 4th straight home loss. Ty Jerome was dealing with a nagging back injury earlier this month, with Spencer playing well in his place. For a young team the road might actually help, and a Pelicans team missing 3 wings is a good place to get back to how they played in that 6-0 start. Tipoff is 7:00 PM CT.
