The Smoothie King Center court won’t be the only thing that looks a little different Friday night.

The guys playing on that court look a little different now, too.

The New Orleans Pelicans, in the midst of a 4-game winning streak, now all of a sudden look much better than the team that started the season with four straight losses.

They’ll try to make it five in a row Friday when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first game of group play in the NBA Cup.

The court will be dark blue with the large NBA Cup logo in the middle, one of the 30 special courts used only for in-season tournament games.

“It’s a bright a** color on the floor,” said Pelicans forward Saddiq Bey. “So you definitely feel it at pregame shootaround. We want to win everything. We’re competitors in this league. Whatever is in front of us, we want to win. We are excited for the opportunity.”

The NBA implemented the in-season tournament during the 2023-24 season. The 30 teams are divided into six groups of five teams each.

The six group winners and two wild card teams advance to the knockout stage. The quarterfinals of the knockout stage are on Dec. 4 and Dec. 5. The semifinals are Dec. 8 and 9. The championship is set for Dec. 11 in Indianapolis after being held in Las Vegas the first three years.

The Pelicans (4-4) are in West Group B with the Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder. T

The Pelicans are coming off an overtime win Wednesday against the Utah Jazz. It was their second straight overtime game and third one of the season. A team that struggled closing games to start the season has seemingly started to figure it out.

“We’ve got a lot of fight,” said forward Derik Queen. “But we just can’t keep putting ourselves in these positions.”

If the Pelicans win Friday, it would match the longest winning streak they had all last season. They won five straight games during a stretch last December. A win would also put them above .500 for the first time since the start of the 2024-25 season when they began the year 2-1. That’s not the only incentive, though.

Each player on the team that wins the NBA Cup earns an extra $53,093. Just getting to the championship game and losing nets a team $212,373 for every player on the roster. There is also money earned for advancing out of group play and into the quarterfinals (the knockout round).

 "There's an added sense of urgency because you're playing for something and trying to put yourself in a position to advance,” said Pelicans coach Jamahl Mosley. “The energy in the arena feels like a playoff atmosphere, and you can feel the competitive intensity pick up. It gives you an opportunity to see how your team responds when there's something on the line."

Mosley, who spent the previous five seasons as coach of the Orlando Magic, has had success in the in-season tournament. His Magic teams went 12-4 in NBA Cup games. They made it out of group play in 2024 and 2025.

Last year, his Orlando team went 4-0 in group play and reached the knockout round. They beat the Miami Heat in the quarterfinals before losing to the New York Knicks in the semifinals. The Knicks went on to win the NBA Cup championship and then capped that off by winning the NBA title in June.

The year before that, Mosley’s Magic team finished second in group play before being eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks in the quarterfinals.

Mosley’s secret to success in NBA Cup play?

"Our defense was really on point during those games,” Mosley said. “The players deserve the credit. We had guys who embraced the challenge and did the little things it takes to win those games.”

Now it’s that same tenacity on the defensive end that has the Pelicans peaking. That tenacity, coupled with a deep bench, is a big reason the Pels are on a 4-game winning streak heading into their first NBA Cup game.

“There is an excitement, but (we’re) not satisfied, Mosley said.  “There is always room for growth. There is an energy and spirit to our guys that understand that we belong and we are going to do it by committee.”