The New Orleans Pelicans take on the Detroit Pistons this Sunday on League Pass (3 ET)
The New Orleans Pelicans (19-52) aim to avenge a 127-81 home loss to the Detroit Pistons (39-32) earlier this week when they meet on Sunday afternoon (3 ET, League Pass).
Here are five things to know before game action:
- Pelicans create extra opportunities: New Orleans ranks fifth in the NBA in second chance points, averaging 15.7 a night. They posted an 18-17 advantage in that category in their 127-81 loss to Detroit on March 17, but they’ll need to be relentless on that end to keep it close in the rematch.
- Missi in the middle: Rookie Yves Missi has been a bright spot for the Pelicans. The No. 21 overall pick in last year’s draft has been a fixture on NBA’s Kia Rookie Ladder, currently sitting at No. 8, posting averages of 8.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while shooting 54.0% from the field. Missi dropped 12 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks in the first meeting with Detroit.
- Detroit battling for position in East: The Pistons have stumbled a bit recently, going 5-5 in their last 10 games. Despite those struggles, Detroit currently holds the Eastern Conference’s 6th seed, but the schedule they face to end the season looks daunting. In their final 11 contests, eight are against teams slated to make the postseason.
- Beasley slides in with the starters: With Tim Hardaway Jr. leaving Friday’s game after just eight minutes due to an ankle injury, Malik Beasley has a chance to slide into the first unit for Detroit. He’s been solid in March, scoring in double figures in 10 of 11 games while averaging 14.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists; Beasley is also draining 39.6% of nearly nine 3-point attempts each game.
- Cunningham fueling Pistons: It’s been a breakout year for Cade Cunningham in his fourth season, who’s putting up career-best numbers in almost every statistical category. He’s 12th in the NBA in scoring (25.7 ppg), third in assists (9.2), and tied for third in triple-doubles (9). Over his last 10 games, Cunningham has gone for 28.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.3 steals in nearly 35 minutes a night.
