New Orleans has its own pile of injuries. Dejounte Murray (personal), Jordan Poole (ankle) and Yves Missi (knee) all missed the Halloween game against Atlanta. The Pelicans won it 121-99 anyway, and the 35-18 1st quarter settled it early. That came right after a 132-120 win over Sacramento, so they have won 2 straight as of Saturday. Before that, they lost 3 in a row, with both games against Denver in the middle.
These two have played some of the same teams, and the results are worth a look. Both beat Sacramento: the Pelicans by 12, Memphis by 11 on the road and then by 31 at home. Against Utah, Memphis won by 5 and New Orleans lost by 1. Neither result is a blowout, but the Grizzlies keep finishing close games and the Pelicans have been losing them. Denver's 141 in the first of those 2 games is the number that should worry New Orleans about its defense.
The injury news before 7:00 PM CT decides how this one looks. Murray is out for a personal reason, not an injury, so he's the Pelicans absence most likely to clear up first. Poole's ankle and Missi's knee have both been around longer. For Memphis, it's whether Jerome and Pippen come back. If both teams are missing the same guys they were missing Saturday, this is depth against depth, and so far that has gone Memphis's way all season.
Here's what the game actually tests. Memphis has given up 112 or fewer in every game of this streak, and New Orleans just scored 120 or more twice in a row. If the Pelicans get off to the same kind of start they had against Atlanta, it's a real game. If they don't, they're on the road against a team that keeps winning with its rotation guys in street clothes.
