Game Rewind
For the second night in a row, Indiana led heading into the fourth quarter but couldn't close it out, resulting in a 102-95 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center.
Indiana led 90-87 with 4:28 to play, and then New Orleans ran off six straight, highlighted by an Anthony Davis dunk plus the foul. The three-point play gave the Pelicans a 93-90 lead with 3:00 to play.
New Orleans extended its lead to five, and the Pacers couldn't generate a response. A little under two minutes to play, Indiana missed a pair of wide-open 3-pointers, which would have cut the deficit to two.
After the misses, on the Pelicans' next possession, Davis hit a dagger triple to put New Orleans up 98-90 with 1:29 remaining, sealing the contest in its favor.
"We got to be able to do it on both ends of the floor in the fourth quarter," Pacers head coach Nate McMillan said. "Defense didn't hold. Offense, when we did have open looks, we didn't knock down shots."
Like last night against the Heat, Indiana looked solid early, leading 7-6, but the Pelicans went on a 13-6 run to build a 19-12 advantage with 5:54 to play in the first quarter.
The Pacers' offense struggled, as they shot just 30 percent from the floor in the opening period, but they were able to keep it close, trailing by just four, 24-20, at the end of the quarter.
The Pacers kept pushing and eventually took a 28-26 lead early in the second quarter, but New Orleans responded with a lightning fast 7-0 run to recapture the lead, 33-28 and force an Indiana timeout with 7:09 left in the half.
After the timeout, the Pacers surged ahead thanks to a 16-5 run, giving Indiana a 44-38 lead with 2:55 to play in the second quarter.
Over the last minutes of the half, the teams essentially traded baskets and the Pacers took a four-point lead, 50-46, into the locker room.
In the third, the Pacers continued to lead, but couldn't pull away. Indiana got up by as much as seven, and the home team came roaring back. Rookie Buddy Hield nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to give New Orleans a 63-62 lead with 6:35 left in the third.
Hield made four triples in the quarter, including one at the 4:11 mark that tied things at 68. Both offenses went cold the rest of the period, and heading into the fourth, Indiana led 74-71.
New Orleans regained the lead in final period, building an 83-80 advantage with 7:20 to play.
In response, the Pacers scored six in a row, including four from Myles Turner to take an 86-83 lead with 6:09 remaining. But over the final six minutes and change, Indiana's offense didn't make enough shots to keep up.
"They're all frustrating," Pacers forward Paul George said of the loss. "Majority of our losses, we've been in the game or in control."
Turner had a huge night for Indiana, finishing with 26 points and eight rebounds. Jeff Teague had 21 points, six rebounds and 10 assists.
Like he has all season, Davis paved the way for the Pelicans. He did plenty of damage, ending with 35 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks. Hield made five 3-pointers en route to 21 points.
Inside the Numbers
No Pacers player finished with a positive +/- rating.
Anthony Davis earned his 16th double-double of the season.
New Orleans made 10 3-pointers to Indiana's two.
You Can Quote Me On That
"Tonight felt really good. I felt my teammates found me in good spots. They gave me confidence and lifted me up." - Pelicans guard Buddy Hield
"We didn't make shots, we had a few contested shots that we could have swung the ball a bit more and got a little more movement. They hit a spurt at the right moment." - Pacers forward Thaddeus Young
"Our goal is to keep going. This game doesn't mean anything if you're not in the playoffs. We want to keep building off of this. Hopefully this fields a run." - Pelicans forward Solomon Hill
Stat of the Night
Indiana had a poor shooting night from beyond the arc, converting just three of its 21 attempts from long range (14.3 percent).
Noteworthy
- New Orleans small forward Solomon Hill was drafted by the Pacers with the 23rd overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. He spent his first three seasons with Indiana before signing with the Pelicans this past offseason.
- Tonight was the first appearance of the season for New Orleans' Tyreke Evans.
- Jeff Teague earned a double-double for the second time in the last five games and his third this season.
- Before tonight's loss, Indiana had won its last six against New Orleans
Up Next
Indiana's road trip concludes Saturday when the Pacers head to Detroit to take on Andre Drummond and the Pistons. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM ET.
Tickets
The Pacers return home on Monday, Dec. 19, when they will host John Wall and the Washington Wizards at 7:00 PM ET at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Find Tickets »
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