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Game Rewind: Pacers 98, Pelicans 95

Game Recap

The Pacers bounced back from a blowout loss last Thursday in London, holding off the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday afternoon at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, 98-95. Indiana (21-19) has now won six of its last seven contests.

The Pacers led for the vast majority of Monday's contest, but the Pelicans (16-26) remained within striking distance even after losing All-Star forward Anthony Davis to injury.

New Orleans eventually tied the game at 91 on E'Twaun Moore's floater with 4:07 to go. The tie was short-lived, however, as Jeff Teague buried a 3-pointer on the other end to put Indiana back in front.

After Tyreke Evans scored on the ensuing possession to make it a one-point game, Paul George answered with a mid-range jumper that gave Indiana a 96-93 lead.

The two teams traded misses over the next several possessions before former Pacers forward Solomon Hill's dunk made it a one-point game with 41 seconds remaining.

On the next Pacers possession, George pump-faked past Hill and threw up a leaning jumper. It missed long, but Myles Turner was there to collect the rebound, drawing a foul in the process. Turner made one of two free throws to push the score to 97-95 with 26.5 seconds to play.

Jrue Holiday had a shot to tie the game, but his jumper missed and the Pelicans fouled Glenn Robinson III in the ensuing scramble for the rebound. But the third-year pro missed both foul shots, giving New Orleans second life.

Moore got into the lane and got a decent look with a right-handed floater, but it missed long and Turner corralled the rebound with three seconds to play.

The 20-year-old again hit just one of two from the charity stripe, giving the Pelicans one last chance to force overtime, but Evans' fadeaway three from the right corner was well short and the home crowd breathed a sigh of relief.

"Down the stretch, we didn't foul," Teague said. "Myles (Turner) did a great job of playing straight up and making them finish over them. They took some tough twos and we got the rebounds, we've just got to do a better job of making our free throws down the stretch."

The Pacers were rolling prior to last week's trip to London, riding high off a season-high five-game winning streak before suffering a 28-point loss to the Nuggets at the O2 Arena last Thursday. Head coach Nate McMillan said before Monday's contest he was hopeful his squad could quickly rediscover the formula that led to their extended success earlier this month.

They had mixed results on Monday, but it was enough to come away with a narrow victory.

George led all scorers with 19 points (though he was just 6-for-17 from the field), five rebounds, and six assists. Jeff Teague was also solid at point guard, nearly registering his first career triple-double with 16 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists (though he did have seven turnovers).

With Teague running the show, the Pacers got off to a fast start on Monday afternoon. Indiana outscored the Pelicans 32-18 in the opening frame.

Teague was key to the Blue & Gold's early success, scoring the Pacers' first two baskets before turning his attention to setting up his teammates. The former Pike High School star wound up scoring or assisting on 11 of Indiana's 14 field goals in the first quarter, tallying up six points and six assists.

Teague threw a pair of alley oops, one to Thaddeus Young and another to Turner. Robinson also got in on the giving spirit, throwing a lob to George, and the Pacers rolled into the second quarter with a comfortable lead.

Indiana continued to cruise at the start of the second quarter, which featured arguably the highlight of the year.

Young executed a give-and-go with Monta Ellis, head-faked his way past Donatas Motiejunas in the paint, then rose up through contact from Terrence Jones and threw down a monstrous, left-handed dunk that nearly caused the entire Pacers bench to rush the floor in celebration.

"It was just one of those things that happened really quick," Young said. "I'd seen an opening and I was like, alright I've got to go."

"He finally yelled," Teague joked. "I've never seen Thad show any emotion, so that was good."

Young converted the ensuing free throw, then converted layups on the next two possessions to give Indiana a 45-30 lead with 7:15 left in the half. But the Pelicans responded, reeling off a 16-2 run to cut their deficit to just one.

That would be the closest New Orleans would get before halftime, but Indiana led just 54-52 at the break.

The Pelicans suffered a tough blow midway through the third quarter, when Davis took a hard fall after a foul from Myles Turner with 7:08 left in the period.

Davis remained down for several minutes before getting up and knocking down both free throws. But he was still in noticeable pain and the Pelicans committed an intentional foul to sub him out of the game. He gingerly walked back to the visiting locker room and reportedly underwent x-rays on his thumb and tailbone.

After Davis' injury, the Pacers quickly reeled off eight unanswered points to open up a double-digit lead. The hosts took a 76-70 advantage into the fourth quarter, setting the stage for a memorable finish.

Turner finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks to join George and Teague in double figures. Young chipped in 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting and six steals.

Davis led New Orleans with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, but did not return after his injury. Moore and Jones each registered 15 points off the bench for the Pelicans, who had six players score in double figures.

After Monday's victory, the Pacers will now set out on a three-game Western Conference road trip. They visit Sacramento on Wednesday, then play at the Lakers and the Jazz over the weekend.

"We need to be tied together offensively and defensively," Turner said about the team's upcoming road trip. "We showed stretches of that tonight but we need to carry it on the road."

Inside the Numbers

Teague and Turner each recorded their eighth double-doubles of the season. They share the team lead in that statistical category.

Al Jefferson added 10 points off the bench for Indiana in just 10 minutes, going 5-for-7 from the field.

Young's six steals matched his season high, previously set on Dec. 28 at Washington.

The Pacers outrebounded the Pelicans 46-38, limiting New Orleans to just eight offensive boards and a season-low three second-chance points.

The Pelicans' reserves outscored Indiana's bench, 51-19.

You Can Quote Me On That

"Tonight our defense had to hold. We did what we needed to do to win the game. We know it will take a better effort on the road, we have to be sharper." -Pacers head coach Nate McMillan

"I just wanted to bring that spark to my teammates and will our way through the game. That was one of the biggest things. They’re a good team, they stay focused and they run their stuff." - Young

"I'm happy I'm getting some rebounds. I was one of the worst rebounders last year, so to actually get some rebounds this year is good." -Teague on his near triple-double

"We got two good looks at (tying the game), it just didn't go in the basket. I thought we did a great job but we didn't get off to a great start. I thought we hung in there, a couple of the bench guys came in big." -Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry

"I enjoyed it here. This is a great organization. I want to thank guys like Larry (Bird), George Hill, Danny Granger for my experience here. I owe a lot to a guy like Paul George. He was a great motivator for me. He motivated me to be great, great like him. I have absolutely no hard feelings about the decisions that were made for me to go elsewhere." -Solomon Hill

Stat of the Night

The Pacers shot 50.6 percent from the field in the victory and are now 10-1 on the year and 9-0 at home when shooting 50 percent or better.

Noteworthy

  • The Pacers have now won seven straight home games over the Pelicans. New Orleans' last win at The Fieldhouse came on Jan. 16, 2010.
  • Indiana has won 11 of its last 12 regular season games overall against the Pelicans.
  • Young surpassed 1,000 career steals in the win.

Up Next

The Pacers open a three-game road trip on Wednesday night against the Kings in Sacramento. Get some coffee brewing, as tipoff is scheduled for 10:30 PM ET.

Tickets

After a three-game Western Conference road trip, the Pacers will return home to host the New York Knicks on Monday, Jan. 23 at 8:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »

Home Court Gift Shop Game Night Special

Above All Hooded Fleece - $25. Game Night Specials can be purchased in the Home Court Gift Shop or any of our souvenir stands located on all levels of Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The special is also available online at PacersGear.com until midnight.