NBA Scores 2018: The Pelicans’ quiet standings push, and 4 more things from Wednesday

Google “Can pelicans fly,” and one high result reads, “Why do pelicans fly so close to the water?” Of course pelicans can fly — the question has always been how high.

Because right now, the New Orleans Pelicans are soaring. They’ve won eight of their last 11 games, they have their two stars who were both voted as all-star starters, and those two stars — Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins — were just the recipients of the hardest, most Southern ‘90s rap cover we’ve ever seen. Just try to feast your eyes on their incredible art.

The Pelicans are only one game back of Oklahoma City, amazingly, but also just three games back from being out of the playoffs altogether. It’s a delicate balancing act, but New Orleans has been balancing it better of late. With a 101-96 win against the Charlotte Hornets, one that didn’t even need an impossible and historic Cousins evening, this team is growing more certain as a playoff roster.

New Orleans’ net rating is still only No. 11 in the league during this month, despite the wins. Not everything is rosy, as many of the wins have been close ones. A win is a win, but close wins often balance out over time. This team is still badly missing a consistent bench piece or two.

But by flying close to the water, pelicans reduce the pressure that would otherwise be put on them, at least according to the North Coast Journal. Perhaps the Pelicans are doing just that.

For the NBA All-Star team, snubs are more a math problem than anything else. There are only 24 players allowed in, and there are usually 30 or so players who we view as “all-star caliber,” so you can figure it out from there. If you’re an NBA player and you’re part of that almost-but-not-quite contingent, the best place to take it out is on the court.

So Ben Simmons did. His stats:

He completed his triple-double in 22 minutes, just a few minutes shy of the fastest ever, and he’s in seriously contention to break the rookie record for triple-doubles set by Magic Johnson. Only Larry Bird has put up that exact line since blocks began being recorded as an official stat.

And another snub, Andre Drummond, made his presence heard loud and clear, too. His line:

That’s a statline that has never been put up by anyone, not with all those criteria being met. That said, Detroit ended up losing the game, so it was a bittersweet performance.

Pelicans 101, Hornets 96 (The Bird Writes recap | At the Hive recap)

Jazz 98, Pistons 95 (SLC Dunk recap | Detroit Bad Boys recap)

Pacers 116, Suns 101 (Indy Cornrows recap | Bright Side of the Sun recap)

76ers 115, Bulls 101 (Liberty Ballers recap | Blog a Bull recap)

Raptors 108, Hawks 93 (Raptors HQ recap | Peachtree Hoops recap)

Rockets 104, Mavericks 97 (The Dream Shake recap | Mavs Moneyball recap)

Spurs 108, Grizzlies 85 (Pounding the Rock recap | Grizzly Bear Blues recap)

Trail Blazers 123, Timberwolves 114 (Blazer’s Edge recap | Canis Hoopus recap)

Celtics 113, Clippers 102 (Celtics Blog recap | Clips Nation recap)