Projecting the NBA Western Conference playoffs seeds

#8 - New Orleans Pelicans (currently 40-30, 7th)

Anthony Davis has had to carry the Pelicans after they lost DeMarcus Cousins in January

Imagine where the New Orleans Pelicans would be if they didn't lose DeMarcus Cousins to an Achilles injury back in January. Since Cousins went down on January 26th, the Pelicans are 13-9, including a 10-game winning streak in the middle of February.

The loss of Cousins immediately hurt the Pelicans as they lost 5 of their first 6 games after the injury, but that win streak has helped them move up to 7th in the Western Conference.

Teams ranked 5th through 8th in the conference are only separated by a maximum of half a game and the Pelicans will have a tough test as they face Houston, Portland, and Cleveland back-to-back to end March.