A look at three key numbers related to Friday’s game at the Smoothie King Center between Indiana and New Orleans (7 p.m., Fox Sports New Orleans, WRNO 99.5 FM):
2: Number of players in Friday’s interconference matchup who rank in the top 10 of the NBA in scoring. Indiana forward Paul George has bounced back splendidly from a frightening leg fracture that caused him to miss nearly the entire 2014-15 regular season, now averaging 24.6 points, which places him seventh in the league. New Orleans forward Anthony Davis is just two rungs on the scoring rundown below George, averaging 23.5 points. The 22-year-old is off to a fine start in January, averaging 28.5 points in two games vs. Dallas so far, shooting 51.1 percent from the field. He also grabbed 13.0 rebounds a night against the Mavericks.
3, 28: NBA team rankings in defensive efficiency for Indiana and New Orleans, respectively. As much talk as there’s been about Indiana moving away offensively from dumping the ball inside to big men such as Roy Hibbert and David West (both offseason departures), it’s defense that’s been more vital to the Pacers’ improvement this season. Indiana is allowing just 100.9 points per 100 possessions, looking like a playoff team in the East after missing the postseason in 2015. Meanwhile, New Orleans ranks third-to-last in defensive efficiency (109.4), but that’s actually an improvement, because not long ago the Pelicans were 30th. Per Basketball-Reference.com, Davis leads NOLA in defensive rating, at an estimated 103 points given up per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor.
13, 14: NBA team rankings in three-point attempts per game taken by Indiana and New Orleans, respectively. Both of those represent a significant jump from last season, when the Pacers took the 18th-most treys, while the Pelicans were 23rd. Both teams have adapted to the NBA’s increased emphasis on the three-pointer: Indiana has gone from an old-school, conventional, inside-out attack to frequently using small lineups, while New Orleans had been in the bottom tier of reliance on treys for each of the previous five seasons. NOLA last finished in the top half of the league in that statistic when it was ninth in 2009-10. Paul George leads Indiana with 3.1 makes per game, followed by C.J. Miles’ 2.7. Eric Gordon is NOLA’s leader at 2.5, with Ryan Anderson (1.9) next in line.
