2017–18 New Orleans Pelicans season

The 2017–18 New Orleans Pelicans season was the 16th season of the New Orleans Pelicans franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Pelicans were coached by Alvin Gentry in his third year as head coach. They played their home games at the Smoothie King Center as members of the Western Conference's Southwest Division.

2017–18 New Orleans Pelicans season
Head coach	Alvin Gentry
General manager	Dell Demps
Owners	Tom Benson (until March 15, his death) Gayle Benson (March 15 onwards)
Arena	Smoothie King Center
Results
Record	48–34 (.585)
Place	Division: 2nd (Southwest) Conference: 6th (Western)
Playoff finish	Conference Semifinals (Lost to Warriors 1–4)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	Fox Sports New Orleans
Radio	WWL-FM

The team's second-leading scorer, DeMarcus Cousins, suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury during his subsequent final game as a Pelican on January 26, 2018, and missed the remainder of the season.[1] Despite losing Cousins, the Pelicans clinched their first playoff berth since 2015 with a win over the Los Angeles Clippers on April 9, 2018.[2] They finished the season 48–34 to finish in second place in the Southwest Division.

In the Playoffs, the Pelicans faced off against the third-seeded Portland Trail Blazers in the First Round. On April 14, 2018, the Pelicans won the first game in the First Round playoff series which marked the franchise's first playoff game win since the 2011 playoffs' First Round series against the Los Angeles Lakers.[3][4] On April 21, the Pelicans completed the playoff series sweep over the Trail Blazers, marking the franchise's first series win since 2008.[5][6] It also marked the first playoff series sweep in franchise history, and the first time that a team seeded sixth or lower had swept a First Round series since the NBA had expanded the First Round to a best-of-seven series.[7] They advanced to the Conference Semifinals to face the second-seeded and eventual NBA champion Golden State Warriors, the team that swept them in the First Round of the 2015 playoffs.[8] The Pelicans lost the series in five games and were eliminated from the playoffs.[9][10]

As of 2020, this marked the last time the Pelicans made the playoffs.

Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College / Club
2	31	Frank Jackson	PG	United States	Duke

Prior to the NBA draft, the Pelicans had only one second round pick, having traded their first round pick, rookie Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, and the Philadelphia 76ers' original second round pick to the Sacramento Kings in a blockbuster trade for star center DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi.[11][12] On June 21, 2017, however, the Pelicans acquired the Washington Wizards' second round pick (No. 52 overall) in exchange for guard Tim Frazier.[13] As a result, the Pelicans entered draft night with two second round and no first round picks. On the night of the draft, the Pelicans traded away their second round pick (No. 40 overall) and cash considerations to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for the Hornets' second round pick (No. 31 overall).[14] With that pick, the Pelicans selected Duke point guard Frank Jackson.[15] With the No. 52 overall pick, the Pelicans selected Xavier point guard Edmond Sumner and traded him to the Indiana Pacers for cash considerations.[16]

Roster

Roster listing

2017–18 New Orleans Pelicans roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY-MM-DD) From C 42 Ajinça, Alexis 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 248 lb (112 kg) 1988–05–06 INSEP (FRA) G 2 Clark, Ian 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1991–03–07 Belmont G 4 Cooke, Charles (TW) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 196 lb (89 kg) 1994–07–01 Dayton C 0 Cousins, DeMarcus  (C) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 270 lb (122 kg) 1990–08–13 Kentucky G 27 Crawford, Jordan 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1988–10–23 Xavier F/C 23 Davis, Anthony (C) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 253 lb (115 kg) 1993–03–11 Kentucky F 13 Diallo, Cheick 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1996–09–13 Kansas F 44 Hill, Solomon 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1991–03–18 Arizona G 11 Holiday, Jrue 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1990–06–12 UCLA G 15 Jackson, Frank 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1998–05–04 Duke G 34 Liggins, DeAndre 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 209 lb (95 kg) 1988–03–31 Kentucky F 21 Miller, Darius 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1990–03–21 Kentucky F 3 Mirotić, Nikola 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 238 lb (108 kg) 1991–02–11 Spain G/F 55 Moore, E'Twaun 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 191 lb (87 kg) 1989–02–25 Purdue C 50 Okafor, Emeka 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1982–09–28 Connecticut G 9 Rondo, Rajon 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 186 lb (84 kg) 1986–02–22 Kentucky	Head coach Alvin Gentry Assistant coach(es) Darren Erman Chris Finch Dave Hanners Kevin Hanson Robert Pack Fred Vinson Phil Weber Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended (GL) On assignment to G League (TW) Two-way affiliate player Injured Roster Last transaction: 2018–04–05

Standings

Division

Southwest Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div	GP
z – Houston Rockets	65	17	.793	0.0	34–7	31–10	12–4	82
x – New Orleans Pelicans	48	34	.585	17.0	24–17	24–17	9–7	82
x – San Antonio Spurs	47	35	.573	18.0	33–8	14–27	9–7	82
Dallas Mavericks	24	58	.293	41.0	15–26	9–32	5–11	82
Memphis Grizzlies	22	60	.268	43.0	16–25	6–35	5–11	82

Conference

Western Conference
#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	GP
1	z – Houston Rockets *	65	17	.793	–	82
2	y – Golden State Warriors *	58	24	.707	7.0	82
3	y – Portland Trail Blazers *	49	33	.598	16.0	82
4	x – Oklahoma City Thunder	48	34	.585	17.0	82
5	x – Utah Jazz	48	34	.585	17.0	82
6	x – New Orleans Pelicans	48	34	.585	17.0	82
7	x – San Antonio Spurs	47	35	.573	18.0	82
8	x – Minnesota Timberwolves	47	35	.573	18.0	82
9	Denver Nuggets	46	36	.561	19.0	82
10	Los Angeles Clippers	42	40	.512	23.0	82
11	Los Angeles Lakers	35	47	.427	30.0	82
12	Sacramento Kings	27	55	.329	38.0	82
13	Dallas Mavericks	24	58	.293	41.0	82
14	Memphis Grizzlies	22	60	.268	43.0	82
15	Phoenix Suns	21	61	.256	44.0	82

Game log

Preseason

2017 pre-season game log Total: 1–3 (Home: 0–2; Road: 1–1)
Pre-season: 1–3 (Home: 0–2; Road: 1–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 October 3 Chicago L 109–113 Anthony Davis (24) Cousins, Davis (10) Rajon Rondo (8) Smoothie King Center 16,962 0–1 2 October 6 @ Oklahoma City L 91–102 Anthony Davis (14) Anthony Davis (7) Jrue Holiday (6) Chesapeake Energy Arena N/A 0–2 3 October 8 @ Chicago W 108–95 Anthony Davis (37) Anthony Davis (15) DeMarcus Cousins (9) United Center 17,523 1–2 4 October 13 @ Memphis L 101–142 Jordan Crawford (19) Cunningham, Diallo (6) Jordan Crawford (4) FedExForum N/A 1–3
2017–18 season schedule

Regular season

2017–18 game log Total: 48–34 (Home: 24–17; Road: 24–17)
October: 3–4 (Home: 1–2; Road: 2–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 October 18 @ Memphis L 91–103 Anthony Davis (33) Anthony Davis (18) Holiday, Moore (4) FedExForum 17,794 0–1 2 October 20 Golden State L 120–128 Cousins, Davis (35) Anthony Davis (17) Jordan Crawford (7) Smoothie King Center 18,171 0–2 3 October 22 @ LA Lakers W 119–112 Anthony Davis (27) Anthony Davis (17) DeMarcus Cousins (8) Staples Center 18,997 1–2 4 October 24 @ Portland L 93–103 DeMarcus Cousins (39) DeMarcus Cousins (13) Jrue Holiday (7) Moda Center 19,446 1–3 5 October 26 @ Sacramento W 114–106 DeMarcus Cousins (41) DeMarcus Cousins (23) Jrue Holiday (6) Golden 1 Center 17,583 2–3 6 October 28 Cleveland W 123–101 Anthony Davis (30) Anthony Davis (14) DeMarcus Cousins (10) Smoothie King Center 18,539 3–3 7 October 30 Orlando L 99–115 Anthony Davis (30) DeMarcus Cousins (12) Jrue Holiday (8) Smoothie King Center 14,004 3–4
November : 8–6 (Home: 4–3; Road: 4–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 8 November 1 Minnesota L 98–104 DeMarcus Cousins (35) Anthony Davis (10) Cousins, Davis, Holiday (6) Smoothie King Center 14,788 3–5 9 November 3 @ Dallas W 99–94 Anthony Davis (30) DeMarcus Cousins (20) Jrue Holiday (8) American Airlines Center 19,894 4–5 10 November 4 @ Chicago W 96–90 (OT) Anthony Davis (27) Anthony Davis (16) Jrue Holiday (6) United Center 21,254 5–5 11 November 7 @ Indiana W 117–112 Anthony Davis (37) Anthony Davis (14) DeMarcus Cousins (6) Bankers Life Fieldhouse 15,014 6–5 12 November 9 @ Toronto L 118–122 Jrue Holiday (34) DeMarcus Cousins (15) Jrue Holiday (11) Air Canada Centre 19,800 6–6 13 November 11 LA Clippers W 111–103 DeMarcus Cousins (35) DeMarcus Cousins (15) Jrue Holiday (8) Smoothie King Center 17,624 7–6 14 November 13 Atlanta W 106–105 E'Twaun Moore (24) DeMarcus Cousins (16) Cousins, Davis (7) Smoothie King Center 14,631 8–6 15 November 15 Toronto L 116–125 DeMarcus Cousins (25) DeMarcus Cousins (9) Rajon Rondo (8) Smoothie King Center 15,654 8–7 16 November 17 @ Denver L 114–146 Anthony Davis (17) DeMarcus Cousins (6) Jameer Nelson (9) Pepsi Center 16,816 8–8 17 November 20 Oklahoma City W 114–107 Anthony Davis (36) Anthony Davis (15) Rajon Rondo (8) Smoothie King Center 16,765 9–8 18 November 22 San Antonio W 107–90 Anthony Davis (29) DeMarcus Cousins (15) Davis, Rondo (4) Smoothie King Center 17,539 10–8 19 November 24 @ Phoenix W 115–91 Anthony Davis (23) DeMarcus Cousins (10) Rajon Rondo (7) Talking Stick Resort Arena 16,574 11–8 20 November 25 @ Golden State L 95–110 Anthony Davis (30) Anthony Davis (15) Holiday, Rondo (6) Oracle Arena 19,596 11–9 21 November 29 Minnesota L 102–120 Jrue Holiday (27) DeMarcus Cousins (10) Rajon Rondo (7) Smoothie King Center 15,555 11–10
December : 7–8 (Home: 4–4; Road: 3–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 22 December 1 @ Utah L 108–114 DeMarcus Cousins (23) DeMarcus Cousins (13) Rajon Rondo (11) Vivint Smart Home Arena 17,725 11–11 23 December 2 @ Portland W 123–116 DeMarcus Cousins (38) Dante Cunningham (12) Rajon Rondo (10) Moda Center 18,730 12–11 24 December 4 Golden State L 115–125 Jrue Holiday (34) DeMarcus Cousins (11) Rajon Rondo (11) Smoothie King Center 17,004 12–12 25 December 6 Denver W 123–114 DeMarcus Cousins (40) DeMarcus Cousins (22) Holiday, Rondo (7) Smoothie King Center 15,353 13–12 26 December 8 Sacramento L 109–116 (OT) DeMarcus Cousins (38) DeMarcus Cousins (11) Jrue Holiday (5) Smoothie King Center 15,019 13–13 27 December 10 Philadelphia W 131–124 Jrue Holiday (34) DeMarcus Cousins (9) Rajon Rondo (18) Smoothie King Center 16,878 14–13 28 December 11 @ Houston L 123–130 Jrue Holiday (37) DeMarcus Cousins (14) Rajon Rondo (12) Toyota Center 18,055 14–14 29 December 13 Milwaukee W 115–108 DeMarcus Cousins (26) DeMarcus Cousins (13) Jrue Holiday (8) Smoothie King Center 16,863 15–14 30 December 15 @ Denver L 111–117 (OT) DeMarcus Cousins (29) Anthony Davis (12) Jameer Nelson (7) Pepsi Center 17,584 15–15 31 December 19 @ Washington L 106–116 Anthony Davis (37) DeMarcus Cousins (13) Jrue Holiday (5) Capital One Arena 16,529 15–16 32 December 22 @ Orlando W 111–97 DeMarcus Cousins (26) Cousins, Davis (11) Rajon Rondo (8) Amway Center 16,922 16–16 33 December 23 @ Miami W 109–94 Ian Clark (19) DeMarcus Cousins (7) DeMarcus Cousins (8) AmericanAirlines Arena 19,600 17–16 34 December 27 Brooklyn W 128–113 Anthony Davis (33) DeMarcus Cousins (14) Rajon Rondo (25) Smoothie King Center 16,707 18–16 35 December 29 Dallas L 120–128 Anthony Davis (33) DeMarcus Cousins (20) Cousins, Rondo (8) Smoothie King Center 16,878 18–17 36 December 30 New York L 103–105 Anthony Davis (31) DeMarcus Cousins (19) Rajon Rondo (12) Smoothie King Center 16,947 18–18
January : 9–5 (Home: 5–2; Road: 4–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 37 January 3 @ Utah W 108–98 Anthony Davis (29) Anthony Davis (15) Holiday, Moore (5) Vivint Smart Home Arena 18,306 19–18 38 January 6 @ Minnesota L 98–116 DeMarcus Cousins (23) DeMarcus Cousins (15) DeMarcus Cousins (5) Target Center 18,978 19–19 39 January 8 Detroit W 112–109 Anthony Davis (30) Cousins, Davis (10) Rajon Rondo (15) Smoothie King Center 12,874 20–19 40 January 10 @ Memphis L 102–105 DeMarcus Cousins (29) DeMarcus Cousins (8) Jrue Holiday (6) FedExForum 14,312 20–20 41 January 12 Portland W 119–113 Anthony Davis (36) DeMarcus Cousins (19) DeMarcus Cousins (8) Smoothie King Center 17,003 21–20 42 January 14 @ New York W 123–118 (OT) Anthony Davis (48) Anthony Davis (17) Cousins, Rondo (5) Madison Square Garden 19,812 22–20 43 January 16 @ Boston W 116–113 (OT) Anthony Davis (45) Anthony Davis (16) Rajon Rondo (8) TD Garden 18,624 23–20 44 January 17 @ Atlanta L 93–94 Jrue Holiday (22) DeMarcus Cousins (14) DeMarcus Cousins (7) Philips Arena 10,894 23–21 45 January 20 Memphis W 111–104 Jrue Holiday (27) Anthony Davis (12) Jrue Holiday (8) Smoothie King Center 18,212 24–21 46 January 22 Chicago W 132–128 (2OT) DeMarcus Cousins (44) DeMarcus Cousins (24) DeMarcus Cousins (10) Smoothie King Center 17,101 25–21 47 January 24 @ Charlotte W 101–96 Davis, Holiday (19) DeMarcus Cousins (13) Cousins, Rondo (5) Spectrum Center 14,588 26–21 48 January 26 Houston W 115–113 Anthony Davis (27) DeMarcus Cousins (13) DeMarcus Cousins (11) Smoothie King Center 17,186 27–21 49 January 28 LA Clippers L 103–112 Anthony Davis (25) Anthony Davis (17) Jrue Holiday (7) Smoothie King Center 16,378 27–22 50 January 30 Sacramento L 103–114 Anthony Davis (23) Anthony Davis (13) Jameer Nelson (8) Smoothie King Center 14,292 27–23
February : 8–3 (Home: 3–1; Road: 5–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 51 February 2 @ Oklahoma City W 114–100 Anthony Davis (43) Anthony Davis (10) Rajon Rondo (13) Chesapeake Energy Arena 18,203 28–23 52 February 3 @ Minnesota L 107–118 Anthony Davis (38) Nikola Mirotic (12) Jrue Holiday (9) Target Center 17,954 28–24 53 February 5 Utah L 109–133 Jrue Holiday (28) Anthony Davis (11) Rajon Rondo (8) Smoothie King Center 14,293 28–25 — February 7 Indiana Postponed due to water leak in arena roof (March 21) Smoothie King Center 54 February 9 @ Philadelphia L 82–100 Ian Clark (15) Davis, Okafor (8) Rajon Rondo (9) Wells Fargo Center 20,489 28–26 55 February 10 @ Brooklyn W 138–128 (2OT) Anthony Davis (44) Anthony Davis (17) Rajon Rondo (12) Barclays Center 16,572 29–26 56 February 12 @ Detroit W 118–103 Anthony Davis (38) Anthony Davis (10) Jrue Holiday (12) Little Caesars Arena 14,453 30–26 57 February 14 LA Lakers W 139–117 Anthony Davis (42) Anthony Davis (15) Jrue Holiday (11) Smoothie King Center 15,436 31–26 All-Star Break 58 February 23 Miami W 124–123 (OT) Anthony Davis (45) Anthony Davis (17) Jrue Holiday (9) Smoothie King Center 17,751 32–26 59 February 25 @ Milwaukee W 123–121 (OT) Jrue Holiday (36) Anthony Davis (13) Rajon Rondo (12) Bradley Center 18,717 33–26 60 February 26 Phoenix W 125–116 Anthony Davis (53) Anthony Davis (18) Rajon Rondo (12) Smoothie King Center 14,302 34–26 61 February 28 @ San Antonio W 121–116 Anthony Davis (26) Anthony Davis (15) Rajon Rondo (12) AT&T Center 18,418 35–26
March : 8–7 (Home: 5–4; Road: 3–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 62 March 4 @ Dallas W 126–109 Jrue Holiday (30) Cheick Diallo (15) Rajon Rondo (10) American Airlines Center 19,798 36–26 63 March 6 @ LA Clippers W 121–116 Anthony Davis (41) Anthony Davis (13) Jrue Holiday (17) Staples Center 16,412 37–26 64 March 7 @ Sacramento W 114–101 Jrue Holiday (23) Nikola Mirotic (10) Jrue Holiday (8) Golden 1 Center 17,583 38–26 65 March 9 Washington L 97–116 Darius Miller (20) Nikola Mirotic (12) DeAndre Liggins (5) Smoothie King Center 18,143 38–27 66 March 11 Utah L 99–116 Anthony Davis (25) Anthony Davis (11) Jrue Holiday (10) Smoothie King Center 18,062 38–28 67 March 13 Charlotte W 119–115 Anthony Davis (31) Anthony Davis (14) Rajon Rondo (17) Smoothie King Center 15,507 39–28 68 March 15 @ San Antonio L 93–98 Jrue Holiday (24) Anthony Davis (14) Jrue Holiday (7) AT&T Center 18,418 39–29 69 March 17 Houston L 101–107 Anthony Davis (26) Anthony Davis (13) Jrue Holiday (8) Smoothie King Center 18,495 39–30 70 March 18 Boston W 108–89 Anthony Davis (34) Anthony Davis (11) Rajon Rondo (11) Smoothie King Center 18,277 40–30 71 March 20 Dallas W 115–105 Anthony Davis (37) Cheick Diallo (14) Rajon Rondo (14) Smoothie King Center 14,484 41–30 72 March 21 Indiana W 96–92 Anthony Davis (28) Anthony Davis (13) Rajon Rondo (6) Smoothie King Center 14,148 42–30 73 March 22 LA Lakers W 128–125 Anthony Davis (33) Anthony Davis (9) Rajon Rondo (10) Smoothie King Center 18,037 43–30 74 March 24 @ Houston L 91–114 Anthony Davis (25) Cheick Diallo (9) Jrue Holiday (4) Toyota Center 18,055 43–31 75 March 27 Portland L 103–107 Anthony Davis (36) Anthony Davis (14) Jrue Holiday (11) Smoothie King Center 15,426 43–32 76 March 30 @ Cleveland L 102–107 Jrue Holiday (25) Anthony Davis (8) Rajon Rondo (8) Quicken Loans Arena 20,562 43–33
April : 5–1 (Home: 2–1; Road: 3–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 77 April 1 Oklahoma City L 104–109 Anthony Davis (25) Anthony Davis (11) Rajon Rondo (9) Smoothie King Center 18,500 43–34 78 April 4 Memphis W 123–95 Anthony Davis (28) Anthony Davis (12) Rajon Rondo (13) Smoothie King Center 16,521 44–34 79 April 6 @ Phoenix W 122–103 Anthony Davis (33) Nikola Mirotic (16) Jrue Holiday (10) Talking Stick Resort Arena 18,055 45–34 80 April 7 @ Golden State W 126–120 Anthony Davis (34) Anthony Davis (12) Rajon Rondo (17) Oracle Arena 19,596 46–34 81 April 9 @ LA Clippers W 113–100 Anthony Davis (28) Nikola Mirotic (16) Jrue Holiday (10) Staples Center 15,742 47–34 82 April 11 San Antonio W 122–98 Jrue Holiday (23) Davis, Mirotić (15) Rajon Rondo (14) Smoothie King Center 18,573 48–34
2017–18 season schedule

Playoffs

2018 playoff game log Total: 5–4 (Home: 3–1; Road: 2–3)
First Round: 4–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 2–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 14 @ Portland W 97–95 Anthony Davis (35) Anthony Davis (14) Rajon Rondo (17) Moda Center 19,882 1–0 2 April 17 @ Portland W 111–102 Jrue Holiday (33) Anthony Davis (13) Holiday, Rondo (9) Moda Center 20,066 2–0 3 April 19 Portland W 119–102 Nikola Mirotic (30) Anthony Davis (11) Rajon Rondo (11) Smoothie King Center 18,551 3–0 4 April 21 Portland W 131–123 Anthony Davis (47) Davis, Mirotic (11) Rajon Rondo (16) Smoothie King Center 18,544 4–0
Conference Semifinals: 1–4 (Home: 1–1; Road: 0–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 28 @ Golden State L 101–123 Anthony Davis (21) Anthony Davis (10) Rajon Rondo (11) Oracle Arena 19,596 0–1 2 May 1 @ Golden State L 116–121 Anthony Davis (25) Anthony Davis (14) Rajon Rondo (10) Oracle Arena 19,596 0–2 3 May 4 Golden State W 119–100 Anthony Davis (33) Anthony Davis (18) Rajon Rondo (21) Smoothie King Center 18,551 1–2 4 May 6 Golden State L 92–118 Anthony Davis (26) Anthony Davis (12) Rajon Rondo (6) Smoothie King Center 18,513 1–3 5 May 8 @ Golden State L 104–113 Anthony Davis (34) Anthony Davis (19) Jrue Holiday (11) Oracle Arena 19,596 1–4
2018 playoff schedule

Player statistics

Regular season

Player	Pos.	GP	GS	MP	Reb.	Ast.	Stl.	Blk.	Pts.
Tony Allen^†	SF	22	0	273	47	9	11	3	103
Omer Asik^†	C	14	0	121	37	2	1	2	18
Charles Cooke	SG	13	0	38	2	1	1	0	6
Ian Clark	SG	74	2	1,455	127	110	33	10	551
DeMarcus Cousins	C	48	48	1,737	617	257	79	76	1,210
Jordan Crawford	PG	5	0	53	4	13	1	1	33
Dante Cunningham	SF	51	24	1,115	193	26	27	16	253
Anthony Davis	PF	75	75	2,727	832	174	115	193	2,110
Cheick Diallo	PF	52	0	581	211	19	11	21	254
Larry Drew	PG	7	0	55	2	8	0	0	15
Solomon Hill	SF	12	1	187	36	22	7	1	29
Jrue Holiday	SG	81	81	2,927	365	486	123	64	1,537
Mike James^‡	PG	4	0	18	1	6	1	0	4
Jalen Jones^‡	SF	4	0	19	3	0	0	0	5
Walt Lemon^≠	PG	5	0	35	2	5	0	1	17
DeAndre Liggins	PG	27	3	244	26	21	10	4	44
Darius Miller	SF	82	3	1,944	164	111	28	17	637
Nikola Mirotic^≠	PF	30	11	872	246	41	29	26	439
E'Twaun Moore	SG	82	80	2,586	238	187	79	12	1,022
Jameer Nelson^†	PG	43	0	897	96	156	79	76	221
Emeka Okafor^≠	C	26	19	353	120	8	8	25	221
Rajon Rondo	PG	65	63	1,703	263	533	70	10	537
Josh Smith	PF	3	0	12	4	0	0	0	2

After all games.[17]
^‡Waived during the season
^†Traded during the season
^≠Acquired during the season

Transactions

Trades

June 21, 2017	To New Orleans Pelicans 52nd pick in the 2017 NBA Draft[18]	To Washington Wizards Tim Frazier
February 1, 2018	To New Orleans Pelicans Nikola Mirotić 2018 second round pick (from New Orleans via Chicago)	To Chicago Bulls Ömer Aşık Tony Allen Jameer Nelson 2018 Top 5 protected first round pick Right to swap 2021 second round picks with New Orleans[19]

Re-signed

Player	Signed
Jrue Holiday[20]	5-year contract worth $126 million

Additions

Player	Signed	Former team
Tony Allen[21]	1-year contract worth $2.3 million	Memphis Grizzlies
Ian Clark[22]	1-year contract worth $1.6 million	Golden State Warriors
Charles Cooke[23]	Two-way contract	Dayton Flyers
Jalen Jones[24]	Two-way contract	Maine Red Claws
Darius Miller[25]	2-year contract worth $4.3 million	Brose Bamberg
Rajon Rondo[26]	1-year contract worth $3.3 million	Chicago Bulls
Mike James	Two-way contract	Phoenix Suns
Emeka Okafor	Signed two 10-day contracts / 1-year deal	Delaware 87ers
Walter Lemon Jr.	Signed a 10-day contract	Fort Wayne Mad Ants

Subtractions

Player	Reason left	New team
Quinn Cook[27]	Waived	Atlanta Hawks[28]
Axel Toupane[27]	Waived	Žalgiris Kaunas
Donatas Motiejūnas	Unrestricted free agent	Shandong Golden Stars
Hollis Thompson	Unrestricted free agent	Olympiacios Piraeus
Jalen Jones	Waived	Dallas Mavericks / Texas Legends
Mike James	Waived	Panathinaikos Athens

Awards, records and milestones

Awards

Player	Award	Date awarded	Ref.
DeMarcus Cousins	Western Conference Player of the Week	October 30, 2017	[29]
Anthony Davis	Western Conference Player of the Week	November 27, 2017	[30]
Anthony Davis	NBA All-Star starter (5th appearance)	January 18, 2018	[31]
DeMarcus Cousins	NBA All-Star starter (4th appearance)	January 18, 2018	[31]
Anthony Davis	Western Conference Player of the Month (February)	March 1, 2018	[32]
Anthony Davis	Western Conference Player of the Week	March 5, 2018	[33]
Anthony Davis	Western Conference Player of the Month (March/April)	April 12, 2018	[34]
Anthony Davis	All-Defensive First Team	May 23, 2018	[35]
Jrue Holiday	All-Defensive First Team	May 23, 2018	[35]
Anthony Davis	All-NBA First Team	May 24, 2018	[36]
Anthony Davis	NBA blocks leader (3rd time)	June 17, 2018	[37]

Season

• Anthony Davis set franchise records in:
  • Most blocks in a game
    • 10 in a loss against the Utah Jazz on March 11, 2018[38]
  • Most blocks in a half
    • 6 – tied his own franchise mark on the same day.[38]
  • Field goals in a season (780)[39]
  • Points in a season (2,110)
  • Points per game (28.1)
• DeMarcus Cousins set a franchise record in:
  • Defensive rebound percentage in a season (30.9%)[39]
• Rajon Rondo set franchise records in:
  • Most assists in a game
    • 25 in a win against the Brooklyn Nets on December 27, 2017.[40]
  • Most assists in a quarter
    • 9 in a win against the Detroit Pistons on January 8, 2018, tying a franchise record.[41]

Playoffs

• Anthony Davis set a franchise record in:
  • Most points in a playoff game
    • 47 in Game 4 against the Portland Trail Blazers.[42]
• Rajon Rondo tied a franchise record in:
  • Most assists in a playoff game
    • 17 in Game 1 against the Portland Trail Blazers. Tied the record with Chris Paul.[43]

Milestones

• On November 22, 2017, Anthony Davis reached 7,938 career points, moving him to second in points scored in franchise history after passing Chris Paul.[44]
• On January 18, 2018, both Davis and DeMarcus Cousins were selected as NBA All-Star starters, which marked the first time since 2009 that multiple New Orleans players have been selected to the All-Star game. It was also the first time in franchise history that multiple players have started the All-Star game.
• On January 28, 2018, Davis reached 3,857 career rebounds, giving him the all-time franchise high in rebounds after passing David West.[45]
• On February 2, 2018, Davis passed David West in points scored, giving him the all-time franchise high with 8,702.[46]
• The Pelicans finished second in the Southwest Division, which was the highest since the 2007–08 season.
• The Pelicans finished first in the league in:
  • Total minutes played in a season (19,995)[47]
  • Minutes played per game (243.4)[48]

Playoffs

• The Pelicans clinched their first playoff berth since 2015.[49]
• On April 14, 2018, the Pelicans won the first game in the First Round playoff series which marked the franchise's first playoff game win since the 2011 NBA playoffs.[50]
• On April 21, 2018, the Pelicans completed the playoff series sweep over the Portland Trail Blazers, marking the franchise's first series win since 2008. It was also the first playoff series sweep in franchise history, and the first time that a team seeded sixth or lower had swept a First Round series since the NBA had expanded the First Round to a best-of-seven series.[51]

References

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