The New Orleans Pelicans have lost seven straight games and are searching for anything positive to latch on to. They'll have a tough task ahead of the on Tuesday as they return home to take on the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers have already beaten the Pelicans twice this season, winning both games by over 10 points. Los Angeles isn't playing their best basketball right now, though, and the Pelicans could be getting a major piece back from the injury report.
Here is how the New Orleans injury situation looks ahead of Tuesday's game:
Trey Alexander (G-League two-way) - Out
Saddiq Bey (right hip flexor strain) - Out
Hunter Dickinson (G-League two-way) - Out
Dejounte Murray (right Achilles rupture) - Out
Herb Jones (right ankle sprain) - Questionable
Jones has finally been upgraded back to questionable after dealing with a right ankle sprain since the December 22 game against the Dallas Mavericks.
It is no coincidence that the Pelicans have lost all seven of their games that Jones has missed since then. While adding him back into the equation would not have solved all of their problems, his presence alone is fantastic for the defensive end.
Over the last seven games, New Orleans ranks second-to-last in the NBA with a 124.1 defensive rating. During their previous six games with a healthy Jones they ranked seventh with a 111.1 rating.
Even if Jones doesn't come back for this game against the Lakers, seeing him make positive progress is massive.
Here is how things stand for Los Angeles, on the injury front:
Rui Hachimura (right calf sprain) - Out
Austin Reaves (left calf strain) - Out
Adou Thiero (right MCL sprain) - Out
Gabe Vincent (lumbar back strain) - Questionable
The Lakers will be without two of their top-five scorers this season in Hachimura and Reaves. With LeBron James back, though, Los Angeles has fared well without those two.
Reaves has missed seven of their last 10 games and the Lakers are 5-2 without him. The Pelicans will be glad to not see him, though, as he has scored 64 points combined in their two matchups this season.