NEW ORLEANS -- The New Orleans Pelicans and the Miami Heat are in eighth place in their respective conferences coming off the NBA All-Star break, and when they meet Friday night at the Smoothie King Center, the Pelicans will try to recapture the feel-good emotions of a three-game winning streak just before the break.
Although New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry is not a believer in "momentum" -- especially coming off a nine-day break -- there is no question his team was learning to operate more efficiently since the loss of center DeMarcus Cousins to a season-ending Achilles injury on Jan.