Will Home-Court Advantage Make A Difference?
The 9/10 match-up is set between the New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs, but home-court advantage is still up in the air.
With three games to go, the Pelicans hold a one-game advantage in the standings, meaning they can clinch home court by winning out vs. Portland, Memphis, and Golden State. The San Antonio Spurs have a tougher slate ahead, facing Minnesota, Golden State, and Dallas.
Historically, home-court advantage has been hugely important in the 9/10 Play-In game. Of course – this is just the second season of the Play-In, but last year the 9/10 games in both conferences were won by the home team.
Neither the Spurs nor the Pelicans showed distinct home-court advantages in the regular season. The Spurs’ home record of 16-24 is actually worse than their 18-21 away record, and the Pelicans barely have a superior home record (18-21 at home, 17-23 away).
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Still, expect to see the New Orleans Pelicans push for home-court advantage. Recently, after a crucial comeback win over the Lakers on March 27th, Brandon Ingram gave praise to the hometown crowd in New Orleans.
“These last few games, the energy has been pretty good,” Ingram said. “They’ve been behind our team when we’ve been down. They’ve given us energy when we don’t have it at all…We definitely needed them tonight. They were our energy to come back and fight in this game.” In a playoff atmosphere, the Pelicans will likely want their hometown crowd bringing that energy again.
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Keeping with the trend, don’t be surprised to see whomever holds home-court taking the win in the 9/10 Play-In game.
