Improving Pelicans have chance to finish 2017 with a flourish

NEW ORLEANS — The Pelicans have an opportunity to finish 2017 with a flourish.

The first two months of the season have been marked by consistent inconsistency, a worksheet that shows small peaks and shallow valleys.

They matched their longest win streak of the season (three games) when they routed the Brooklyn Nets, 128-113, on Wednesday night in the Smoothie King Center. The victory placed them two games over .500 (18-16) in a season in which they’ve never been more than three games over .500.

A peak at what lies ahead before the new year — as well as a glance back at what happened just before Christmas — suggests this upward mobility might continue.

A stretch of four consecutive road games leading up to Christmas got off to a rocky start in the Rocky Mountains. New Orleans had a 10-point lead after three quarters in Denver, only to fall to the Nuggets, 117-111, in overtime.

After a quick trip home, the Pelicans ventured back on the road. First stop Washington, where they fell behind by 25, caught up, then fall way behind again before succumbing, 116-106.

That left their record at exactly .500 for the 10th time in a season that’s not halfway over. New Orleans has been trying to put .500 in its rear-view mirror and pull away from it.

It has generally hung around the bottom of the Western Conference playoff pool, mostly between spots six and eight.

Ideally, the Pelicans would like to distance themselves from the No. 9 spot to increase the likelihood that they wind up in the playoffs, and move closer to the middle of the pack so they can avoid Golden State, Houston and maybe even San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs.

After the loss at Washington, they went to Orlando and inched above the .500 mark again with a 111-97 victory over the Magic. Just 24 hours later they were in Miami and knocked off the Heat, 109-94.

A team that generally has played its worst at the first sign of building some momentum, continued building on its Florida success against the struggling Nets.

Brooklyn entered the game with a 12-21 record, having lost 109-97 at San Antonio on Tuesday night. The Nets were furthered hampered by the absence of two of their better players — guards D’Angelo Russell and Jeremy Lin, who are both sidelined by knee injuries.

So this was an opportunity for a relatively easy victory and the Pelicans took advantage, leading by eight points after one quarter, 23 at halftime and by 33 midway through the third quarter.

Brooklyn, though, wasn’t prepared to give in, putting together a 19-0 run that got it within 14 early in the fourth quarter.

New Orleans, though, never let the lead get precarious, responding with a 15-3 run that put it back in control with a 106-80 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Putting the quality of the opponent aside, this performance showed what this team can be.

Anthony Davis demonstrated once again that he has one of the most distinctive skill sets in the NBA, scoring 33 points — matching his career-high four 3-pointers on as many attempts — and grabbing 11 rebounds and blocking six shots.

DeMarcus Cousins had what is essentially an average game for him, but headline-grabbing for most players — 27 points and 14 rebounds.

The two big received the necessary complement from the guards as Jrue Holiday scored 23 points and E’Twaun Moore had 20.

And Rajon Rondo orchestrated the whole thing with a career-high 25 assists. As a team New Orleans had 40 assists on 49 baskets.

“That speaks for itself,” Rondo said. “It wasn’t just me.”

And it won’t be just him, or just Davis, or just Cousins, if this team is ever going to become a consistently good team, a goal coach Alvin Gentry seems to mention every night.

It remains to be seen whether the Pelicans can keep this going, but it won’t take us long to find out. They’re back in the Smoothie King Center on Friday to play Dallas, which is 11-25 and floundering near the bottom of the NBA though it did win its second consecutive game when it beat Indiana, 98-94, on Wednesday.

On Saturday, New Orleans rings out the old year with another home game against the New York Knicks, who are 17-17 after a 92-87 loss at Chicago on Wednesday.

If form holds, the Pelicans will regress in one or both of those games.

But if they are growing into the team they aspire to be, we’ll see more of the same to close out 2017.