What a difference two games can make in changing the water cooler talk concerning the New Orleans Pelicans. Third-year head coach Willie Green was celebrating a franchise record 153 points in a win over the surprisingly competitive Utah Jazz to start the week. Unfortunately, the Pelicans are now traveling to face the Boston Celtics having lost the last two games by 60 points combined. This locker room will not panic though, they've been in this situation before, which explains Green's even-keeled postgame press conference.

“Everything is correctable and changeable,” Green asserted. “We've just got to continue to work harder. Do it harder, trust each other, and compete. Tonight we were not consistent enough to give ourselves a chance to win the game and that's the key for us.”

The 141-171 road loss to the Milwaukee Bucks came 24 hours after a 107-83 home defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder. It's the first case of consecutive losses since Christmas week.

Before that, it was Thanksgiving when Green's resilient Pelicans last lost back-to-back games. The organization has had the talent to turn things around quickly before, but the worrisome trend is inconsistency and the Pelicans' second-half energy.

“It was really a lackluster performance on our part and it starts with me,” admitted Green. “I've got to hold our guys more accountable. This is a tough back-to-back. We know it. Flying up here, they had a back-to-back as well. Probably some tired legs but our fight has to be better. Those guys in the locker room, they know it. They've shown it. Tonight we did not put our best foot forward.”

The lack of effort can be seen on the stat sheet. The Pelicans have been emphasizing the three-point shot and team rebounding. Zion Williamson's extra work is a welcome sight but the Duke alum had two boards in 29 minutes. CJ McCollum and Naji Marshall had just one each. Herb Jones, usually a catalyst for upping the on-court energy, did not have any rebounds.

“I have to go back and look but from my view, they came in and ran their plays,” continued Green. “They got into the paint. They kicked out for threes. Our defense was scrambling all night. Like I said, give them credit. They dominated the game. We know we have to be better. Our guys know it in the locker room. We've got a day off coming up. We look forward to…playing against Boston.”

New Orleans made nine of their 23 threes. Milwaukee made 20. Ingram, who has been hiring the same fire-away message all season, made both of his two attempts. That's great accuracy but nowhere near the necessary volume. Frankly, the effort and shot-chart math just wasn't adding up at all.

“We want to take more than 20 threes,” Green sighed. “You at the stats the difference in the game is 20 threes to nine. That's a tough night any time a team makes 20 threes and we only make nine. It's tough to catch up so that's an area that we've improved but we just didn't do it tonight.”

The Pelicans will have to play to a higher standard or the Boston Celtics are very capable of making it three blowout losses in a row. No franchise wants that type of trend following them into the NBA All-Star break. Thankfully, though they have only two home games before the league's intermission, New Orleans gets to face six teams with losing records.

Green's message to the Pelicans also applies to anxious fans. Doom and gloom instant reactions are no way to analyze an NBA season or game. Williamson, Ingram, and McCollum are all relatively healthy after 46 games. With just three dozen games to go, New Orleans is a half-game behind the sixth-seeded Phoenix Suns. They also have the seventh easiest schedule to navigate before the postseason.

Those are just a few reasons why the Pelicans will not panic.