New Orleans Pelicans lose to Indiana Pacers on MLK Day: Four Takeaways

3. Davis goes down, the world does not end.

The city of New Orleans collectively drew into its shell at around 4:00 p.m. local time, when a Myles Turner foul forced Anthony Davis to the ground following a dunk attempt:

Eek. Just after missing last week’s Nets game with a hip injury, Davis suffers this nasty spill, and misses the rest of the game. The severity of the injury is unclear, for now. However, the Pelicans actually made do without him!

The bench trio of Moore, Evans, and Jones combined for 42 points overall in this game, shooting 16-36 to buoy an inconsistent offense. The Pelicans needed these performances on a night where the starting guards struggled with turnovers and Gentry seemed intent to rest them, regardless.

The Pelicans had this one in hand after the third quarter, when their offense started to get its groove and the defense locked down. Paul George barely tallied more points than shots, and no one really stepped up in his stead. In the end, it was a battle of making shots, and the Pelicans made fewer, as is often the case.

A mid-range jumper by Jrue Holiday, a floater by E’Twaun Moore, a 3-point heave by Tyreke Evans– all dry. We need to stop blaming talent, too. Those three players are fine offensive weapons, all capable of making a shot from their given spots. Tonight, they didn’t, and the Pelicans lost for it.