Pelicans Travel To Indy And Face High-Octane Pacers Offense On National TV
The New Orleans Pelicans (35-24) travel to Indianapolis to face the Indiana Pacers (33-26) on Wednesday night on National TV. ESPN will carry the matchup, with the Pelicans playing on back-to-back nights. New Orleans defeated the Knicks on Tuesday evening at Madison Square Garden, snapping a two-game losing streak. Player availability is uncertain for the big matchup.
New Orleans lists Brandon Ingram (ankle), Zion Williamson (foot), CJ McCollum (ankle), and Trey Murphy III (knee) as questionable for the Pacers game. McCollum injured his ankle in the first half of the Miami Heat game last Friday night and has yet to play since. Ingram rolled his ankle in the first half against the Knicks on Tuesday night but remained in the game to finish. The Pelicans need all hands on deck to deal with the high-octane offense of the Indiana Pacers.
Dec 26, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas (17) shoots a jump shot against Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
The Pacers rank first in the NBA in points scored (123.9), field goal percentage (50.9%), points in the paint (51), and assists (31). Two-time All-Star Tyrese Haliburton leads their offensive attack, averaging 21.5 points and 11.6 assists. Indiana made a splash before the trade deadline by acquiring All-Star forward Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors. Since joining the Pacers, Siakim has averaged 21.1 points on a career-high 55% shooting from the field.
New Orleans has won three straight road games, and their 18 road wins this season are three more than all of last year. This is the first matchup between these teams this season, and because of scheduling, these teams didn't play each other in the calendar year of 2023. Historically, this has been a close matchup between these two teams. Five of the last seven games have been decided by seven points or less. New Orleans has had its issues with clutch games this season. They are 1-6 in games decided by three points or less.
The Pelicans hope Murphy III can go on Wednesday and continue his hot shooting from a night ago. Trey made six three-point shots, his most made in a game since December. His shot has struggled of late, but a turnaround of shot fortune would spell major dividends for the Pelicans heading into the playoffs. Currently, the Pelicans are the fifth seed, but only 1.5 games separate the fifth and eighth spot.
These teams play a home-and-home series. After the game in Indy on Wednesday, they play again Friday night in New Orleans at the Smoothie King Center.
