Toronto Raptors vs. New Orleans Pelicans: Two teams with identical records go head-to-head

One team will emerge from this game 5-14, while the other leaves 4-15. Have the stakes ever been higher?

There are a lot of talented players in this matchup between the Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans. Unfortunately, many of them will be watching the game like the rest of us, as the injury bug — which swept through the Raptors’ roster — is also wreaking havoc on the Pelicans.

While the Raptors are in a rebuilding phase and focused more on player development than gunning for a playoff spot, the Pelicans came into the year with postseason expectations following a 49-win campaign. Yet, as we near the month of December, both teams have identical 4-14 records. Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones have all missed extended periods due to injury, and New Orleans has lost 11 of their last 12. In a stacked West that currently features 10 teams above .500, the Pelicans can only withstand so many losses before this becomes a lost season.

They’ll look to break their losing streak tonight at Smoothie King Center against the Raptors, who are currently 0-10 on the road — the only team without a road win this year. Here are the details for tonight’s game.

Where to Watch:

TSN, 8 pm EST

Lineups:

Toronto: Davion Mitchell, RJ Barrett, Ochai Agbaji, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl

New Orleans: Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Javonte Green, Trey Murphy III, Daniel Theis

Injuries:

Toronto: Gradey Dick — calf (OUT), Immanuel Quickley — elbow (OUT), Bruce Brown — knee/conditioning (OUT), Kelly Olynyk — back (OUT), D.J. Carton — ankle (OUT)

New Orleans: Zion Williamson — hamstring (OUT), Jose Alvarado — hamstring (OUT), Brandon Ingram — calf (questionable), Trey Murphy III — knee (questionable), Herbert Jones — shoulder (questionable), Jordan Hawkins — back (questionable), Dejounte Murray — hand (probable)

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Bespectacled Scottie

The Raptors lost on a buzzer-beater to the Detroit Pistons on Monday. But while the result was disappointing, Scottie Barnes was a major bright spot, putting up 31 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists with just one turnover. Barnes has looked good in the three games since returning from his facial injury, but Monday’s game was a real return to form. He’d scored 17 and 18 points in his first two games back, on 11 and 14 field goal attempts — on Monday, he shot 12-for-26. Look for Barnes to assert himself in a game where the Pelicans are missing a top defender in Herb Jones.

A key player (probably) returns

Back in June, the Pelicans made a blockbuster trade to pry Dejounte Murray from the Atlanta Hawks. But Murray has only played 30 minutes as a Pelican, as he sustained a fractured hand during the season opener. Now, after missing more than a month, Murray is expected to make his return (though fans will have to wait a while longer to see him paired with Zion Williamson). Murray averaged over 22 points, five rebounds and six assists on the Hawks last year. Tonight he’ll be on a minutes restriction while also battling the rust accumulated during his absence. Still, his insertion into the lineup should be a breath of fresh air for a depleted, floundering New Orleans team.

Some close calls

The Raptors may be 4-14, but their 4-14 feels a lot different than the Pelicans’ 4-14. This is demonstrated quite clearly by their respective point differentials: the Raptors are -5.7, the Pelicans -11. Moreover, nearly all the Raptors’ losses have been winnable games, two of which were lost on buzzer beaters. This tweet from TSN’s Keerthika Uthayakumar says pretty much all you need to know: