OKLAHOMA CITY – Help is on the way, in the form of newly-acquired forward Nikola Mirotic, but that trade acquisition won’t be available to the New Orleans Pelicans until Saturday’s back-to-back game at Minnesota. In the meantime, New Orleans (27-23) will have to make do Friday while only expecting to have 10 players available, facing one of the NBA’s hottest teams, Oklahoma City (30-22 and recent owners of an eight-game winning streak).
When asked at morning shootaround how the short-handed predicament affects the Pelicans’ approach to a Western Conference matchup vs. the Thunder, point guard Rajon Rondo said, “It doesn’t.