The team following up its spectacular postseason sweep of the Blazers fumbled out of the gates so poorly in 2018-19 (somewhat due to injury luck) that Anthony Davis publicly demanded a trade prior to the deadline.
But then the team started winning.
Posting a record of 8-8, with substantial victories over the Nuggets, Jazz, Rockets, Lakers and Thunder, the New Orleans Pelicans have channeled Memphis’ grit-and-grind to pull off three consecutive victories, all after having trailed by double-digits.
The Pelicans continue doing it on the offensive end, but perhaps most surprisingly, they’ve significantly improved on the defensive end, up to 16th in Defensive Rating over the past 15 games.