Two teams well outside of the playoff picture in the Western Conference will go head-to-head on Tuesday night when the New Orleans Pelicans host the Portland Trail Blazers. Entering the evening, the Blazers sit 12th in the West with a 5-9 record while the Pelicans are 14th at 4-9. 

Both teams have had to deal with major injury issues. The Pelicans are still without the top overall pick from the 2019 NBA Draft, Zion Williamson, due to an injured right knee, while the Blazers are missing a couple of key pieces of their frontcourt in Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins. Though their starts have been slow, the season is still young, and both teams still have an opportunity to bounce back and turn things around. 

Portland will get a boost in this game, though, as veteran forward Carmelo Anthony is expected to make his Blazers debut against the Pelicans after joining the team last week. The Blazers are hoping that Anthony will be able to complement Dame Lillard and CJ McCollum and take a bit of the scoring load off of their shoulders. Unfortunately, Lillard won't be out on the court for Anthony's debut, as he has been ruled out of the contest with back spasms. 

The game between the two teams is the first of three on the season, as they will meet again in December and February. With that in mind, here's everything you need to know about the matchup between the Blazers and Pelicans. 

How to Watch

  • Date: Tuesday, Nov. 19, 8 p.m. ET
  • Location: Smoothie King Center -- New Orleans, Louisiana 
  • TV: NBATV | Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)  
  • Odds: NO -105 | POR -115 | (O/U 230)

Storylines

Blazers: After making it all the way to the Western Conference finals last season, the Blazers are off to a very slow start. They haven't looked great on either side of the ball, as they appear to miss role players like Moe Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu, who the team allowed to sign elsewhere in free agency over the offseason. Injury issues have plagued the team, too, as they have been without several members of their frontcourt. While the addition of Anthony comes off as a bit desperate, the Blazers are clearly hoping that he can help some of their depth issues, while providing some much-needed ancillary scoring. 

Pelicans: Considering the injury issues that they've dealt with, and the fact that their roster is very different than it was last season, the Pelicans' slow start isn't especially surprising. They're a young team with a lot of potential, but they're still a little rough around the edges. The main story for the Pelicans this season will be Williamson's eventual debut, but in the meantime, they have been benefiting from some promising play from fourth-year forward Brandon Ingram, who appears to be in line for a breakout season. 

Prediction, Pick

Both of these teams are hungry for wins in the crowded Western Conference, because the longer the season goes on, the harder it will be for either team to climb back into the playoff picture. In this one, though, the Pelicans will come out on top, due mainly to injury issues. If Lillard were playing, it would go the other way, but Portland already has too many other players sidelined to also overcome the loss of Lillard. CJ McCollum will try his best to carry the load, and maybe Melo will chip in too, but ultimately it won't be enough.  Pick: Pelicans (+1)