Six-game home-stand gives hot Pelicans opportunity to strengthen their playoff position

The New Orleans Pelicans have moved into 10th place in the Western Conference.

That means that if this were the end of the season the Pelicans would grab the last play-in spot.

Of course, the season is far from over; the All-Star Break doesn’t hit until next week. And getting the last NBA play-in spot is the least significant accomplishment for any professional team reaching its league’s post-season.

But for a team that started the season 1-12 and hasn’t had its best player (Zion Williamson) all season, the prospect of getting a play-in spot is notable, to say the least.

“It’s extremely meaningful for our group,” first-year coach Willie Green said. “Any time you work as hard as our guys do, and you don’t see results, it can be frustrating. We hung in there. We’ll see what happens at the end of the season.”

What’s happened just in the last week is significant. The Pelicans, who open a six-game home-stand against Houston on Tuesday, won the final three games of four road games last week.

After a loss at Cleveland last Monday, they won at Detroit on Tuesday, at Denver on Friday and at Houston on Sunday.

Not coincidentally, the three straight wins came after leading scorer Brandon Ingram returned from a five-game absence due to a sprained ankle.

The Pelicans were 1-4 without Ingram, but they are 7-3 in the last 10 games in which he has played.

In those 10 games, Ingram has averaged 24.5 points, 7.3 assists and 5.4 rebounds. He has shot 46.9 percent from the floor, 42.1 percent on 3-pointers and 84.3 percent on free throws.

“Brandon, he’s better than advertised,” Green said. “He’s otherworldly talented. He’s just a student of the game. He’s always watching film to find out what he can do to make the team better.”

Green called Ingram’s performance in the 120-107 victory in Houston “beautiful basketball to watch.” Ingram scored 33 points, including 17 as the Pelicans outscored the Rockets 38-23 in the third quarter, and he tied a career-high with 12 assists.

Reserve center Jaxson Hayes was outstanding during the four games. He started at power forward in the first three games, then came off the bench at center and power forward against Houston. He averaged 17 points and eight rebounds in those four games, shooting 85.3 percent (29 of 34) from the floor.

Against the Rockets, Hayes had 21 points on 8 of 10 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds.

“Jaxson had another brilliant night,” Green said. “He’s great in transition. He’s a lob threat and he’s rebounding the ball at a high level. So he’s doing all the things that we’re asking him to do. And then on top of that, he can guard multiple positions.”

Rookie second-round draft choice Herbert Jones, who was selected last week to participate in the Rising Stars game during All-Star weekend, scored 25 points, one off his season-high, making 8 of 10 shots, including 3 of 4 3-pointers.

Additionally, center Jonas Valanciunas and guard Josh Hart continue to help set the tone defensively and on the glass (along with Jones) while Devonte’ Graham, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and undrafted rookie Jose Alvarado provide periodic offensive lifts.

A spot-on assessment of the Pelicans’ progress came from a notable source Sunday night. Former coach Stan Van Gundy, whose firing led to Green’s hiring, tweeted, “Willie Green has done a great job and this team has improved incredibly. Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart have been great and Herb Jones has been the biggest surprise in the rookie class.”

The progress of the individuals and the team as a whole gives executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin much to ponder with the trade deadline looming on Thursday.

It must be tempting to consider adding another significant piece to improve the team’s chances of grabbing a post-season spot and perhaps advancing if it does qualify.

At the same time, though, Griffin might be reluctant to move any players that might be attractive in a trade, given the evolution of this group.

In any event the six-game home-stand – against a mixture of good and not-so-good teams – provides an opportunity for the Pelicans to strengthen their position before the break.

The Rockets have the worst record in the Western Conference. After them the Pelicans face East-leading Miami, San Antonio (a competitor for a play-in spot), Toronto, a likely playoff team in the East, and likely West playoff teams in Memphis and Dallas.

“I’ve just been encouraged by the work that everybody’s been putting in every single day,” Ingram said after Sunday’s victory. “We always had a goal to get to the playoffs and it’s looking like a real thing right now.”