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3 reasons why Pelicans remain undefeated since Holiday's return

Layne Murdoch Jr. / National Basketball Association / Getty

Don't look now, but the New Orleans Pelicans are in business with their lead guard Jrue Holiday back in the fold.

With a commanding 112-94 grounding of the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, the Pelicans improved to a perfect 3-0 since Holiday's return. That stretch also includes impressive wins over presumed postseason favorites in the Portland Trail Blazers and Charlotte Hornets.

Their recent hot spurt hasn't quite made up for New Orleans' dismal 1-9 start, but reaching the postseason and averting disaster suddenly seems possible with their team nearing full-health for once.

Here's what changed since Holiday's return.

Offense firing on all cylinders

The Pelicans have scored 115.3 points per game over the last three games. That's fractions off the Golden State Warriors (116.0) for the league's highest scoring average.

That's no minor achievement - especially since the Pelicans managed those numbers against the first- and fourth-ranked defenses between Atlanta and Charlotte.

Having Holiday back in the lineup brought stability to the offense. The former All-Star understands how to play off the extra attention that Anthony Davis commands from the defense. Everything else falls into place after that.

They've combined to torture opponents in the pick-and-roll, and when defenses overload, the Pelicans have dished off to their 3-point shooters who have subsequently canned open looks.

Aligning the league's leading scorer in Davis with a brilliant offensive mind in Alvin Gentry and a clever lead guard like Holiday always held promise on paper. But the on-court product never quite yielded results on account of a plague of injuries.

With everyone (except for Tyreke Evans, who is nearing a return) back on the court, the Pelicans are finally living up to their promise on the offensive end.

Revived second unit

Gentry has opted to bring Holiday off the bench with the hopes of keeping his minutes in check as he eases his way back into the lineup. That move inadvertently revived his middling bench.

Injuries robbed the Pelicans of depth to the point where 15th man Lance Stephenson became their go-to scorer off the bench. Then in a cruel twist of fate, Stephenson too got injured (then waived) which left the Pelicans with no one to control the second unit.

Holiday single-handedly turned their weakness into a strength. He's averaging 19.3 points and 6.7 assists off the bench and the Pelicans are a combined plus-30 with Holiday on the floor.

Davis continues to anchor the first unit alongside interim starter Tim Frazier who is enjoying a career year. Holiday slots in as their Sixth Man who can marshal the offense when Davis sits. Down the stretch the two unite. That formula has worked beautifully.

Restoring hope

More than anything else, Holiday's return has injected the Pelicans with a palpable joy - something New Orleans hasn't enjoyed since 2015.

First and foremost, Holiday's family is healthy. His wife and ex-USWNT soccer star Lauren Holiday had a benign brain tumor removed and delivered their first child last month.

The Pelicans were entirely supportive of Holiday's paternity leave, and they have rallied around Lauren's recovery.

"Just him being here brings a good vibe to the team," Davis said of Holiday's return, according to William Guillory of NOLA.com. "It was tough because it was kind of the same thing every year with somebody being out. It was a tough situation for him, but we're just happy to have him back."

Davis especially is thrilled to have a familiar face back in the lineup. Cameras caught a giddy Davis lingering around after Holiday's debut and messing with reporters.

That stands in stark contrast to a locker room haunted by injuries to the point where Gentry - perhaps seriously - called for the assistance of voodoo doctors to diagnose his team.

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