The Los Angeles Lakers (8-4) will take on the New Orleans Pelicans (2-9) on Friday night in an NBA Cup Group B matchup at Smoothie King Center. Both teams are dealing with significant injuries, including multiple All-Stars sidelined, as the Pelicans fight to stay alive in tournament play.
The Lakers head into the game after a 121-92 blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, where they trailed by 12 points after the first quarter and 32 at halftime, shooting just 34.2% from the field in the first half. Luka Doncic led Los Angeles with 19 points on 7-for-20 shooting but finished minus-31 on the court.
For the Lakers, LeBron James remains out with sciatica in his right side and lower back, while Gabe Vincent is sidelined by a sprained left ankle. Rookie forward Adou Thiero, the No. 36 pick out of Arkansas, is available to make his NBA debut after recovering from left knee surgery from his college days. Lakers coach JJ Redick emphasized caution with Thiero, saying, “We’ve just got to manage him coming from knee surgery... His knee is in a really good spot, we just want to be really careful.”
The Pelicans, who have lost their last three games and rank 28th in points per game (108.8) and 25th in points allowed (121.6), are missing two All-Stars: Zion Williamson with a left hamstring strain and Dejounte Murray recovering from a right Achilles rupture, which could sideline him for most of the year. Guard Jordan Poole is out with a left quadriceps strain, and two-way players Trey Alexander and Hunter Dickinson are unavailable, assigned to the Birmingham Squadron G League affiliate.
New Orleans must win all three remaining Group B games to have a chance at advancing to the NBA Cup quarterfinals. Calls are growing for coach Willie Green to be fired amid the team's dismal start. Pelicans owner Gayle Benson addressed the situation, stating, “I really like Willie Green, but I hired Joe Dumars to assess our basketball operation... He is assessing Willie and all the players.”
Starting lineups have been announced: Lakers with Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton, Austin Reaves, and Luka Doncic; Pelicans featuring Trey Murphy, Saddiq Bey, Kevon Looney, Herbert Jones, and Jeremiah Fears. Derik Queen has been a bright spot for New Orleans, scoring 26 points with seven rebounds and four assists in their last game.
The game tips off at 8:00 PM ET and will be broadcast on Gulf Coast Sports Network, with streaming available on Fubo.