The New Orleans Pelicans have momentum heading into a nice week. Wait, what? Momentum. Yes, you heard me.
By fluidly integrating point guard Jrue Holiday into a rotation that was failing without him, winning three games, and starting to establish role players, the Pelicans built that momentum organically. No benching, no public statements, no trade demands. Early-season struggles, reversed (at least for a week) by the work of the players and decision-makers themselves.
Now, a tough test against the Eastern Conference’s second-best team to test that momentum. The Atlanta Hawks about-faced their way into a new sort of team this offseason, one featuring Dwight Howard and Dennis Schroeder in the starting lineup in place of longtime centerpieces Al Horford and Jeff Teague.