Pacers 119-104 Pelicans (December 15, 2024) Game Recap

INDIANAPOLIS – Pascal Siakam scored 22 points and Tyrese Haliburton added 21 points and 10 assists to lead the Indiana Pacers past the struggling New Orleans Pelicans 119-104 on Sunday.

Andrew Nembhard had 17 points and Myles Turner finished with 14 points and four blocks as the Pacers won for the third time in four games.

Brandon Boston scored 20 points, leading five Pelicans players in double figures. Dejounte Murray and Herbert Jones each scored 19 points, while Murray had seven rebounds and seven assists.

New Orleans had 18 turnovers and shot 10 of 33 from 3-point range in its fourth straight loss. The Pelicans have lost 13 of 14 since mid-November.

Indiana turned the game around with its defense in the second quarter. New Orleans scored just 14 points in those 12 minutes and trailed 59-42 at halftime. The Pacers built their lead to as many as 23 points in the third quarter and pulled away into the fourth quarter.

Haliburton and Obi Toppin each made four 3s, accounting for half of Indiana’s 16 3s.

Takeaways

Pelicans: A spate of injuries has hit New Orleans hard, and Sunday’s contest was another example of that. It was overwhelming as last season’s highest-scoring offense appeared to be back in form.

Pacers: Nembhard’s return from injury helped Indiana put together its best stretch of the season. If both Pacers guards play fast and freely, they roll the dice. If they keep this up, their season could soon get back on track.

Key moment

New Orleans scored just two points over the final 4:15 of the first half, and Indiana took full advantage, extending its eight-point lead to 17 at halftime.

Key statistics

Indiana finished the game with nine blocks, including eight in the first half as they pulled away.

Next

New Orleans returns to action on Thursday in Houston. Indiana begins a three-game trip Thursday in Phoenix.

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