Pacers (21-15), Pelicans (11-24)
New Orleans’ Alvin Gentry has called for more effort and hustle plays from his team for much of the season, particularly after a discouraging Wednesday loss to Dallas. Unfortunately for the Pelicans, it was exactly that type of play that forced them to go the final 45 minutes of Friday’s game vs. Indiana without their best player. In pursuit of a loose ball early in the first quarter, Davis dove over the first row of sideline seats and landed on the second row, causing a lower back contusion. He was unable to return. New Orleans built a 14-point lead without the two-time All-Star, but Indiana eventually rallied to make it a tightly-contested affair in the second half. The Pacers trailed 70-68 through three quarters, but owned a 23-16 edge in the final 12 minutes.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Indiana’s Paul George sank two free throws with 5.6 seconds left, giving the visitors a five-point lead. New Orleans had a chance to tie on the previous possession, but a left-corner three-point attempt by Eric Gordon on a fast break came up well short. Indiana collected the loose ball along the baseline and dribbled out several seconds before George was grabbed by NOLA to stop the clock.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Tyreke Evans turned in an excellent offensive game as well as a solid all-around performance, tying his season high by pouring in 27 points. He also had seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. On a night when the Pelicans shot just 37.3 percent from the field and were 9/29 on three-pointers, Evans was above average in both categories, going 10-for-19 and 3-for-5.
PELICANS UNSUNG CONTRIBUTOR
New Orleans has ranked in the bottom tier of the NBA in rebounding this season, and with leading rebounder Davis quickly done for the night, the Pelicans needed help from everyone. After playing sparingly in recent weeks, Alexis Ajinca approached his career high in rebounding (14) by pulling down 12 boards in only 26 minutes. The native of France accounted for three of NOLA’s eight offensive rebounds.
