Pacers (38-33), Pelicans (26-45)
INDIANAPOLIS – An hour before tip-off Thursday, New Orleans announced that recent No. 1 offensive threat Jrue Holiday (toe) would be sidelined against Indiana, meaning the Pelicans were about to play without any of their six leading scorers this season. New Orleans couldn’t overcome one of the lengthiest and most star-studded NBA injury lists you’ll ever see, unable to generate enough offense to hang with playoff-contending Indiana. The visiting Pelicans stayed within shouting distance for nearly the entire game, but the Pacers posted an important victory in their pursuit of one of the final Eastern Conference playoff berths. The best news of the evening from a Pelicans standpoint was word that Anthony Davis is expected to be able to resume basketball activity in 3-4 months, after the three-time All-Star underwent a successful procedure on his left knee earlier Thursday.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Indiana’s Monta Ellis grabbed a long defensive rebound off a New Orleans missed three-pointer, then sank two free throws at the other end of Bankers Life Fieldhouse, giving the Pacers a 92-84 lead with 40 seconds left. Despite being severely undermanned and playing with only eight healthy bodies, the Pelicans still had an outside shot in the fourth quarter, trailing just 88-84 when Toney Douglas drained a three-pointer with 1:04 left.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Alexis Ajinca turned in one of the most prolific offensive performances of his six-year NBA career, totaling 22 points on 10/20 shooting. It was two points shy of his career high for points in a game, as well as the most attempts from the field he’s ever fired in the NBA. The 7-foot-2 center started alongside Omer Asik and also grabbed nine rebounds. Alonzo Gee added a season high for him in scoring, with 17 points, including a couple highlight-reel dunks.
PELICANS UNSUNG CONTRIBUTOR
For a fifth consecutive game since joining New Orleans eight days ago, Tim Frazier was a notable contributor for New Orleans and reached double-digit scoring. For a third different time in only five games total as a Pelican, the Penn State product established a career high in points, dropping in 18 points on efficient 7/11 shooting. Frazier is shooting an outstanding 56 percent from the floor with New Orleans. One blemish Thursday was his six turnovers, a chunk of the 16 committed by the Pelicans.
QUOTES TO NOTE
“I really appreciate everything that they did and how hard they played. I thought we kept trying to battle our way back into the game. We just couldn’t quite get over the hump.” – Alvin Gentry on his team’s effort despite only having the legal minimum of eight players available
“We played without a lot of guys tonight. We were in the game the whole game. At the end we just need to stick to the gameplan. They hit a couple of shots and other than that we were in the whole game. – Ajinca on the Pelicans’ performance
“Coach just told us to be aggressive, to move the ball, share the ball, play together. I thought we came out and competed and played hard.” – Gee on New Orleans’ approach
BY THE NUMBERS
45-43: New Orleans scoring advantage in the second half. It didn’t look promising when Indiana led 49-39 at halftime, but the Pelicans kept clawing away to stay in the hunt.
23.5: Pelicans three-point shooting percentage (4/17). With even an average night from beyond the arc, New Orleans could’ve made it even more interesting.