The Pelicans are now healthy and starting to play good ball.



The Pelicans have been sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference all season, but they just returned home from a road trip on which they went 3-1. They finished the trip with a 112-100 victory at Denver on Christmas night.

The recent return of veteran center Derrick Favors is a big help.

Favors had 13 rebounds, eight points, eight assists, three blocks and one steal as New Orleans ended the Nuggets' seven-game winning streak.

"He's huge," Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday said. "You can't really see how much of an impact he has. We ask him to do a lot, but he's doing it. Smart player, he knows how to play the game -- always making great decisions."

I look for the Pelicans to get a big win here at home over the Pacers.