Even though New Orleans might be well-rested, they're not planning to take it easy on defense when they face the revamped Toronto Raptors.
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Even though New Orleans might be well-rested, they’re not planning to take it easy on defense when they face the revamped Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night.
The Pelicans, who haven’t hit the court since their big win against the Indiana Pacers (129-102) last Friday, are known for their solid defense and they’re not about to slack off on that front. They take pride in being one of the top defensive teams in the league.
The Raptors are in for a challenge against that tough Pelicans defense. They managed to scrape by with a 111-106 win against the banged-up Charlotte Hornets at home on Sunday. This was their first game without All-Star Scottie Barnes, who’s out indefinitely due to a fractured hand. The Raptors revealed on Monday that Barnes underwent surgery in Los Angeles to fix the fracture in the third metacarpal bone of his left hand. Tough break for the team!
For the Raptors, Brown (knee injury) will not play the game. Besides, Barnes (hand injury), Nowell (hamstring injury), and Poeltl (finger injury) are also questionable for the game. As for the Pelicans, Daniels will be sitting this one out due to a knee injury.
Pelicans guard Herbert Jones made it clear: the defense ain’t about to hand out any easy layups. They’ve been working that zone defense pretty well too.
The Raptors are looking at the possibility of being without Barnes for quite a while, maybe even for the whole season. And on top of that, they lost Jakob Poeltl during the first half on Sunday to a dislocated left pinky finger, and he’s already been ruled out for Tuesday’s game. Tough luck for the Raptors!
This is a chance for some Raptors, like Ochai Agbaji, to step up. Agbaji, who’s in his second year, got his first start for Toronto on Sunday after being traded from the Utah Jazz along with Kelly Olynyk. And let me tell you, he made the most of it! Agbaji scored 13 points, grabbed a career-high nine rebounds, and blocked two shots. Way to seize the opportunity!
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