New Orleans went from up big to trailing over a brief span of the second half, but ultimately the Pelicans secured their most impressive road win of the young season Friday. New Orleans grabbed an 18-point lead only to see Indiana rally again – just as the Pacers did last month in the Crescent City – but this time the Pelicans came up with just enough plays in crunch time to prevail.
The Pelicans notched their first road win since Jan. 17 at Sacramento and just their fourth of the campaign, with the others coming against Toronto and Oklahoma City. New Orleans is back in action Saturday with a home game vs. Southwest Division counterpart Memphis.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Myles Turner’s drive to the basket and subsequent layup attempt misfired, with Lonzo Ball contesting the shot effectively. New Orleans ran out the final half-second of the clock by inbounding to Brandon Ingram over a shorter Indiana defender.
“We drill that every day,” Ball said on postgame radio of his sliding over defensively to help Steven Adams after Turner dribbled into the paint. “Credit to the coaches, having us ready for these moments. The game was a little closer than we wanted it to be, but it came down to fundamentals on defense.” Ball also credited Josh Hart with making a key play, grabbing and securing the defensive rebound after Turner’s miss, which allowed New Orleans to call timeout and advance the ball at :00.5.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Ingram made it look effortless from mid-range and elsewhere on the offensive end, playing a smooth game and carrying the offense at times. But Ball was the key figure in clutch time, not only with his defensive play on Turner’s potential game-winner, but also as he sank multiple three-pointers to help New Orleans regain a fourth-quarter edge.
BY THE NUMBERS
1,009: Career points for Zion Williamson, becoming the first player since Blake Griffin a decade ago to reach the 1K mark in just 44 games. He entered Friday with 991 points and added 18 to his ledger.
4-2: New Orleans record since its 1-5 all-Western Conference road trip, highlighted by victories over Milwaukee, Phoenix and Indiana, all teams over .500. The Pelicans are 5-3 against the East overall, winning three straight vs. the opposite conference.
13/25: Pelicans three-point shooting, topped by Ball’s 5/9 outing. JJ Redick was perfect in three attempts off the bench.
Revisiting three keys to victory
BRING BACK THE ‘BLUEPRINT’
For two-plus quarters New Orleans looked a lot like it did two days earlier in an impressive win over Phoenix, but it didn’t last. Indiana cranked up the defensive intensity and its Holiday brothers started making threes from all over the floor, creating a frantic final few minutes. New Orleans finished with too many turnovers (20) and broke down a bit in the second half defensively, but the bottom line was a win.
GET TO THEIR SHOOTERS
In this category at least, the Pelicans should be pleased not to have to face the Pacers again in 2020-21. Indiana connected on 20 three-pointers, setting a season high in that category (edging the 19 it made in the Smoothie King Center on Jan. 4). Justin Holiday led the hosts by draining seven three-pointers.
HANDLE PACER PRESSURE
Indiana brought out a trapping, fullcourt press at opportune times during the Jan. 4 game at New Orleans, but didn’t rely on that strategy much Friday until the second half. Led by scrappy T.J. McConnell once again, the Pacers changed the momentum by pestering the Pelicans and forcing mistakes, erasing an 18-point deficit and setting up a tense ending to the game.