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The New Orleans Pelicans yesterday converted the contract of forward Matt Ryan to a standard NBA contract.
Ryan, 6-7, 215, whose two-way contract was awarded to New Orleans off waivers on October 22, 2023, has appeared in 27 games (one start) for the Pelicans this season, averaging 5.6 points and 1.5 rebounds while shooting .451 from deep.
New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram underwent an MRI after hyperextending his left knee during the third quarter of last night’s game against the Orlando Magic. The results of the MRI revealed a left knee bone contusion. Ingram will be re-evaluated in two weeks
The New Orleans Pelicans have signed guard Izaiah Brockington to a 10-day contract.
Brockington, 6-4, 196, has appeared in 40 games this season with the Pelicans’ G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, averaging 13.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 30.3 minutes per contest.
New Orleans’s roster now stands at 18 players, including three two-way players.
The New Orleans Pelicans announced have traded Kira Lewis Jr. and a 2024 second round pick to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for cash considerations.
Lewis Jr., 6-2, 175, who was selected by New Orleans with the 13th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, appeared in 118 games across four seasons with the Pelicans and averaged 5.4 points, 1.8 assists and 1.3 rebounds per contest.
Per the New Orleans Times-Picayune:
Friday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets was a homecoming for multiple New Orleans Pelicans players.
Brandon Ingram grew up in Kinston, North Carolina, a working class town in the Eastern part of the state. Trey Murphy is from Durham, North Carolina. Zion Williamson, a South Carolina native, also spent time in Durham; a former Duke player, Williamson played his long season of college basketball there.
The Pelicans, stocked with talent that developed in North Carolina, beat the Hornets 112-107 for their third consecutive win Friday. Williamson scored 21 points and snagged a season-high 11 rebounds as New Orleans improved to 2-0 on its three-game road trip and 15-11 on the season.
Per the New Orleans Times-Picayune:
The New Orleans Pelicans trailed the Sacramento Kings by 11 points when Jose Alvarado checked in midway through the first quarter. By the time Alvarado subbed back out, the Pelicans had not only erased that deficit — they had pulled ahead by six.
Alvarado came up with two steals and two blocks in his first stint on the floor. His energy plays helped shift the momentum of Monday’s game.
The Pelicans overcame a wobbly start to defeat the Kings 127-117 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. Their win in the first stage of the In-Season Tournament knockout round earned them a trip to Las Vegas. On Thursday, the Pelicans will face the winner of Tuesday’s game between the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers in the In-Season Tournament semifinals…
Ingram poured in 17 of his 30 points after halftime. Ingram also chipped in with eight rebounds and six assists.
Per the Times-Picayune:
or the first time in almost a year, Zion Williamson suited up for the New Orleans Pelicans on the second night of a back-to-back.
Williamson, who scored 12 points in the Pelicans’ win Friday against the San Antonio Spurs, was active for the Pelicans when they faced the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. Williamson closed the first half in Chicago strong, scoring eight consecutive points.
The Pelicans had an eight-point lead at the break, but they could not hold onto it against a bad Bulls team. In the third quarter, the Pelicans got outscored by 15 points, which was their undoing in a 124-118 loss to the Bulls.
The New Orleans Pelicans announced today the following medical updates:
CJ McCollum, who was diagnosed with a small pneumothorax in his right lung, was re-examined yesterday. Medical imaging showed positive healing. He will be re-evaluated at a later date.
Jose Alvarado, who sustained a right ankle sprain during an offseason workout, continues to make good progress in his return to play progression. Alvarado has returned to light on-court work and is expected to return to full team practice in the next 1-2 weeks.
The New Orleans Pelicans have signed forward/center Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to a two-way contract.
And in a corresponding move, the Pelicans have waived forward Kaiser Gates.
Robinson-Earl, 6-9, 230, has appeared in 92 games (56 starts) over the past two seasons with Oklahoma City, averaging 7.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.0 assist. The Villanova product holds career shooting averages of .427 from the floor, .344 from deep, and .781 from the foul line.
The New Orleans roster stands at 17, including three two-way players.
Per the New Orleans Times-Picayune:
The productive and durable Valanciunas made it clear in the offseason that he is comfortable in New Orleans. But he and the team could not agree on an extension, so Valanciunas will play out the final year of his contract without knowing what’s on the other side of it.
“I’m not thinking about that at all,” he said. “I am just going to play hoop. To play basketball. It’s one year at a time. I am just going to leave everything out there.
“Where the future is going to take me, it’s a mystery. But it’s funny that way. You don’t know what can happen tomorrow. You have to enjoy today. You have to enjoy this year. You have to enjoy every game you play. You just try to be the best version of you. That’s what my approach is.”
The Pelicans won 36 games in Valanciunas’ first season here and snuck into the playoffs. In his second season, they won 42 games but were eliminated in the Western Conference play-in tournament. Valanciunas said the disappointment of the way last season ended has made him and his teammates come back motivated.