One of the biggest early-season frustrations for New Orleans had been the number of close games it had lost, including Tuesday's nail-biter vs. Golden State. On Thursday, the Pelicans emerged as the team that came up with nearly all of the key plays down the stretch, leading to a come-from-behind home win. New Orleans trailed Indiana 90-85 midway through the final period, but held the Pacers scoreless over a lengthy stretch. When Anthony Davis drained a three-pointer from the left wing with about 1:30 left, it gave the hosts a 98-90 lead, part of 13 straight points.
The Pelicans prevailed in the first game of a five-games-in-seven-days span, a busy stretch that continues Friday at Houston, followed by stops in San Antonio and Philadelphia on the same road trip.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Solomon Hill ran a long distance to track down Indiana's Thaddeus Young from behind and knock the ball off Young's hip and out of bounds. The hustle play by Hill gave New Orleans possession of the ball with a 98-90 lead and only 47 seconds remaining. A member of the Pacers over the first three seasons of his NBA career, Hill didn't have a huge night numbers-wise (5 points), but came up with a game-sealing defensive play.
PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Davis' 35-point, 16-rebound, five-block performance was powered by a 22-point second half, representing nearly half of New Orleans' scoring after intermission (the Pelicans won it 56-45). Opponents have often done whatever they can to keep the All-Star forward away from the hoop this season, but Davis threw down five dunks against the Pacers. He also went 2/3 from three-point range, showing off his range of offensive skills.
PELICANS UNSUNG CONTRIBUTOR
Highlighted by perhaps his best quarter as a rookie, Buddy Hield broke out with a career-best 21 points, including going on a 14-point binge in the third period. The sixth overall draft pick sank four treys in the stanza, along with a putback score. Overall, Hield shot 8/17 from the field (5/8 from three-point range). He had twice tallied exactly 18 points in a game.
