1)      For any of the teams pursuing eighth-place Memphis (30-31) who thought it might only be a matter of time before they moved up into playoff position, the Grizzlies have had an answer over the past 72 hours. Memphis upset the Lakers on Saturday, then thumped Atlanta last night, moving back to 3.5 games ahead of New Orleans (26-34). In other key Western Conference race games Monday, Portland (27-35) won at Orlando, while San Antonio (25-34) dropped a home game to Indiana. The Trail Blazers “officially” are in ninth place ahead of the Pelicans, but that’s only because the standings are ordered by winning percentage; New Orleans has the tiebreaker based on a 4-0 sweep.

2)      With Portland idle tonight, New Orleans needs to win Tuesday over Minnesota to be in ninth place at the end of the evening. Tip-off for Timberwolves-Pelicans is at 7 p.m. Tickets are available here. There is a new radio station you can listen to Pelicans games on going forward.

3)      There were no changes to the team’s injury report Monday. The Pelicans are entering a back-to-back, with the second game Wednesday at Dallas.

4)      The youthful Pelicans are learning valuable lessons throughout the season, as was the case Sunday after a home loss to the West-leading Lakers.

5)      Listen to Monday’s multi-faceted discussion of the team on the Pelicans Podcast.