New Orleans Pelicans Grades: Pels Lose Painfully Close Battle to Indiana Pacers
By Rick Stone
The New Orleans Pelicans could not overcome the injury to Anthony Davis in third quarter, falling short to the Pacers in a close battle to the finish.
Losses like this one will sting for the New Orleans Pelicans
After climbing back from a deficit that peaked at 16, the Pelicans fell oh so short to the Pacers in Indiana.
After giving up 32 first-quarter points, the Pelicans used a 34-22 second quarter to cut the deficit to two at halftime.
In the third quarter, however, the worst case scenario happened. Anthony Davis went up for a dunk attempt over Myles Turner. When he came down, he landed straight on his back, injuring his right hip and left thumb. He would not return.
Indiana then went on an 8-0 run to push the lead back to 10. The Pelicans could have collapsed under that pressure.
They did not, eventually tying the game in the fourth quarter. However, they did not have enough defense and offensive answers to take the lead and missed a final shot to tie the game at the final buzzer.
Davis finished with 16 points before his exit. Terrence Jones and E’Twaun Moore led the offensive charge without AD, with 15 points each.
100. 95. 69. Final. 98
C+. Jrue Holiday has not played good basketball in the past few games. That continued tonight. He had 11 points and six assists, yet his five turnovers became the problem in this game. He looked bothered by the Pacers’ active defense and never felt comfortable in his jumper or attacking the basket. Probably a big reason Gentry went more with Tyreke Evans at the point than usual.. PG. . JRUE HOLIDAY
Buddy Hield shot the ball really well tonight, making four out of his five shots and two long balls. However, his troublesome defense forces him out of games in the second half. When New Orleans needed their defense to step up, they had to take Hield out of the equation. That is a problem for the rookie. Offensively, though, he had a solid night.. SG. . BUDDY HIELD. B-
SOLOMON HILL. B-. Solomon Hill regressed to the mean on offense. However, his defense on Paul George was pretty good for his time on him. Overall, however, the Pelicans need more from him. He either needs to become a legitimate scoring threat or a player capable of becoming a defensive hounder. Until he gets either of those accolades, he will just end up being a decent player, who is a fringe starter.. SF/PF.
B-. Dante Cunningham is capable of spacing the floor, but did not show it tonight. 1-5 shooting from deep is not good enough to cut it, when most of his shots are open. His defense was okay, but he did not crash the glass or make anything other than on-ball defending bigger guys. New Orleans will struggle to win games with two one-dimensional defenders starting. Dante will either need to show more or find himself out of that group sooner than later.. PF/SF. . DANTE CUNNINGHAM
C/PF. . ANTHONY DAVIS. B+. Anthony Davis played spectacular before his injury. 16 points is a strong showing. However, his matchup against the Pacers bigs held him to just three rebounds. Then, on a dunk attempt, he fell hard on his tailbone and left the game. X-Rays are negative, though. Here is hoping he comes back fully recovered soon.
B. Fans are getting back to having full games of good and bad Tyreke Evans. In his good form, he was leading a bench unit to dominating the scoring department. He was active on defense, moved the ball well and even attacked the defensive board. His bad moments, however, really make everyone cringe. His out-of-control attempts at the rim cost New Orleans points and his sloppy on-ball defense gave up too many easy buckets. The bag of Tyreke Evans continues to be a scattered mix.. PG/SG/SF. . TYREKE EVANS
LANGSTON GALLOWAY. B. First Half Langston Galloway was great, making three of his five three-point attempts and helping the Pelicans stage their second quarter comeback. Second Half Langston Galloway did pretty much nothing to help his team in this game. Just like Tyreke, the bag is mixed with Galloway. He’s either making his shots or not.. SG/PG.
E’Twaun Moore’s stat line may not show it, but he was probably the most impressive Pelican on the night. His defense on Paul George late really kept New Orleans from falling out of the game and he was able to make some shots, when his team needed. His miss at the rim, which could have tied the game late, really hurt. However, he had a pretty good game overall.. SF/SG. . E'TWAUN MOORE. B+
TERRENCE JONES. B+. Yes, Terrence Jones shot 13 shots and only managed 15. Yet what Terrence Jones showed without AD on the floor was his aggressiveness. His four offensive rebounds, three blocks and push to get into the paint of the bigger Pacers’ front gave the Pelicans’ guards avenues to drive into. He really helped his teammates get where they needed to. He’s not going to be a perfect Anthony Davis filler, but he does enough to help stem the tide, when the superstar is not on the floor.. PF.
. DONATAS MOTIEJUNAS. C. Donuts did not look like a strong play against Al Jefferson and the monster bigs off the bench for Indiana. Effort stats were good, but made little impact in his eight minutes.. C/PF
PG. . TIM FRAZIER. C. Tim Frazier got minutes, due to three early fouls for Jrue Holiday in this game. Frazier looked okay on offense, setting up his teammates well. Still, his defense showed the rust he’s accumulated from not playing.
Other Observations:
- The defense ended up being the Pelicans’ Achilles’ Heel. Even with Davis in the game, New Orleans could not get enough stops. The Pacers shot 50.6% in the game, showing just how slow their pace is in general. In a game so close, every stop matters.
- The Pelicans finished their five-game road trip with a record of 2-3. It is not great, since they still find themselves a few games out of a playoff spot, but it leaves them some hope going forward.
Next: New Orleans Pelicans Player of the Week: The Inconsistent Jrue Holiday
The New Orleans Pelicans will look to get back on the winning track at home Wednesday night. They will take on another Eastern Conference foe in the Orlando Magic. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CST.