Pelicans Roll Out Chaotic Starting Five Against Timberwolves
The New Orleans Pelicans are starting an unconventional lineup featuring Jeremiah Fears and Karlo Matkovic alongside Zion Williamson against Minnesota.
HotTakes Editorial TeamUpdated 1 min read
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The Pelicans are rolling out a starting five that sounds like a randomly generated 2K MyLeague roster, but it is actually happening on Friday night.
Underdog NBA just dropped the lineup alert for New Orleans. Jeremiah Fears, Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy III, Zion Williamson, and Karlo Matkovic are getting the nod against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"Underdog NBA tweeted the lineup alert: 'Pelicans will start Fears, Murray, Murphy III, Williamson, Matkovic on Friday.'"
Seeing Matkovic and Fears starting alongside Zion and Dejounte is the kind of chaotic basketball energy we deserve. It looks like a lineup you throw together when half your roster is stuck in traffic, but these guys are fully healthy and currently riding a three-game win streak.
New Orleans has been cooking lately, dropping 135 points on the Memphis Grizzlies and handling the Utah Jazz 120-113 earlier this week. They are finding ways to win, and now they are trusting this eclectic mix of youth and veterans to keep the momentum going.
For anyone staring at their fantasy apps or looking at player prop totals, this rotation shift is a massive curveball. You have to figure out how the usage rate shakes out when you pair a rookie guard like Fears with a high-volume engine like Murray, all while Zion demands his usual paint touches.
We will see if this experiment holds up against a heavy Timberwolves frontcourt on Friday. If it works, the Pelicans might just keep riding this weird wave all the way to Los Angeles when they face the Clippers on Sunday.
Key stats
The Pelicans are on a 3-game win streak.
New Orleans recently scored 135 points against Memphis and 120 against Utah.
What's next
The Pelicans will test this lineup against the Timberwolves on Friday before heading to Los Angeles to play the Clippers on Sunday.

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