Don’t look now, but the New Orleans Pelicans are rapidly sliding out of the playoff picture.
Though they’ve won four of their previous six contests, the competition continues to separate. The Utah Jazz (winners of seven of eight) join the Clippers with an ever-widening 3.5 game advantage.
Offensively, the Pelicans have become a blazing inferno behind Elfrid Payton (125 points per game over last eight). But using a sledgehammer to crack the nut has yet to reap any benefits when teams continue to thrive on the other end. The Pelicans rank third-to-last in points allowed, 25th in fastbreak points allowed and 29th in three-point shots allowed.