th. Though the upcoming schedule was tough, the prevailing wisdom that this Pelicans team could hang with anybody when healthy.
Then came a loss to a shorthanded Timberwolves team. Followed by a win against a struggling Clippers squad that couldn’t hit anything down the stretch. A heartbreaking defeat to the Warriors was next, and finally a blowout at Portland that saw the team fall to four games under .500, while also sidelining Anthony Davis for the next week or two. Possibly more.
Taking a look at the Western Conference playoff picture, it is reasonable to expect that it will take at least 46 wins to finish in the top 8.