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With a New Orleans Pelicans 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament game scheduled for Friday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, the eighth seed in the Western Conference remains up for grabs. Ahead of the Pelicans-Clippers game, we'll be making Pelicans NBA Play-In Tournament predictions.
The Pelicans finished the 2021-22 season with a 36-46 record, led by star Brandon Ingram and trade deadline acquisition CJ McCollum. The fact that New Orleans even sniffed playoff contention without talented forward Zion Williamson, who spent the season rehabbing from a foot injury, is remarkable. The Pelicans' journey under first-year head coach Willie Green took them to the 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament, where they defeated the San Antonio Spurs for the right to play the Clippers for the eighth seed.
Ingram, McCollum and center Jonas Valanciunas came up huge in the game against the Spurs, as the trio combined for 81 of the Pelicans' 113 points. Clearly, New Orleans will need steady contributions from each of these players if they want to advance to the first round of the NBA Playoffs, where a matchup against the Phoenix Suns awaits.
There's no telling if the Pelicans will be able to advance further into the Western Conference playoffs if they emerge victorious on Friday night. However, the franchise isn't worried about that- only the goal in front of them. That said, let's move onto our Pelicans NBA Play-In Tournament predictions.
Pelicans Predictions For NBA Play-In Game
3. The Pelicans make double-digit three pointers as a team
The Clippers allowed 12.8 three pointers per game in the regular season, which was the 12th-most in the league. Los Angeles just allowed the Minnesota Timberwolves to nail 14 triples at a 40 percent clip, a huge reason why the Wolvers were able to emerge victorious. Armed with one of the best three-point shooters in the league in McCollum, as well as excellent secondary shooters, such as Devonte' Graham, and an improved stretch-five in Valanciunas, the Pelicans will be deadly from beyond the arc against the Clips on Friday night.
2. CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram combine for 60-plus points
The Pelicans are going to go as far as McCollum and Ingram take them. It's that simple. So, if New Orleans is going to win this NBA Play-In game, they can't afford an off night for either of McCollum or Ingram. Luckily, both are coming off of excellent games against the Spurs, as Ingram dropped 27 points on 11 of 19 shooting from the field while McCollum led the way with 32 points and seven assists. both McCollum and Ingram will score 30-plus on Friday night against Los Angeles.
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1. Pelicans win the game
This is especially bold, as the Clippers are the favorites as of this publishing. Los Angeles has generally been the better team all year, especially considering the fact that they finished the regular season on a high note. However, the fact that the Clippers couldn't emerge victorious against a Wolves team playing without their best player, Karl-Anthony Towns, who fouled out, is concerning. Los Angeles gave away too many points via turnovers and generally looked like a lesser version of the team that overachieved all season long. The Pelicans will shock the Clippers on Friday night en route to a huge win.
