Pelicans playoff scenarios: Breaking down New Orleans’ playoff picture
The start of the new-look NBA playoffs are rapidly approaching, and every game is crucial across the league as teams are battling for playoff positioning. New in 2021 is the launch of the play-in tournament, which gives four teams from each conference the chance to occupy the final two playoff slots for the first round – and means a team that finishes seventh or eighth in the conference could be sent home early.
How does the NBA’s new playoff system work, and which teams are the Pelicans projected to face? We’ve got you covered. Here’s a comprehensive look at the standings, the Pelicans’ remaining schedule, and their potential playoff opponents with seven games left in the regular season.
The current standings:
5 – Dallas Mavericks (38-28)
6 – Los Angeles Lakers (37-29) – 1 game back
7 – Portland Trail Blazers (37-29) – 1 game back
8 – Golden State Warriors (34-33) – 4.5 games back
9 – Memphis Grizzlies (33-33) – 5 games back
10 – San Antonio Spurs (31-34) – 6.5 games back
11 – New Orleans Pelicans (30-36) – 8 games back
Games remaining in the regular season: 6
Next game: at Sixers, Friday, May 7
Remaining schedule:
May 9: at Charlotte (8th in East), 7 ET
May 10: at Memphis (9th in West), 8 ET
May 12: at Dallas (5th in West), 9 ET
May 14: at Golden State (8th in West), 10 ET
May 16: vs. Lakers (6th in West), TBD
Playoff opponents if season ended today:
As of today, the Pelicans are on the outside looking in, but they have life. While New Orleans has won three of its last four games and is trending upward despite a blowout loss to Golden State on national television, San Antonio has lost five straight games and is plummeting.
The Spurs own the season series against the Pelicans, meaning the 1.5 game lead they have is more like two games. Both sides have tough schedules, though San Antonio’s features games against Milwaukee, Brooklyn and Phoenix twice.
If the Pelicans can sneak past the Spurs and into the play-in games, it’ll likely set up a one-off game against Golden State, a side they’ve proven capable of beating.
