Pelicans at Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are attempting to join the four-team race for the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference but are much closer to the No. 9 spot at the moment. The Pacers will try to gain some separation on the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons when they host the depleted New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday.
Indiana enters play on Wednesday just a half-game ahead of the Bulls and Pistons, who are battling over the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. The Pacers did not look so sharp in matchups against contenders Toronto and Oklahoma City last week but returned to the win column by picking on the hapless Philadelphia 76ers in a 91-75 drubbing on Monday. "It felt like our energy was there,” Indiana star Paul George told reporters after the win. “Just at some moments throughout the game it went away. As far as being up for it, I felt we were coming off a couple losses at home and this was a must-win.” The Pelicans are playing out the string after shutting down star forward Anthony Davis and suffered a 113-99 loss to Miami on Tuesday to close out a 1-2 homestand.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBATV, FSN New Orleans, FSN Indiana
ABOUT THE PELICANS (26-44): New Orleans made the decision to shut down Davis (knee/shoulder) over the weekend and is also without forward Ryan Anderson (groin), guard Eric Gordon (finger), swingman Tyreke Evans (knee) and guard Norris Cole (back). Luke Babbitt stepped up with 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting and Jrue Holiday, who missed significant time earlier in the season with a leg injury, added 24 points in Tuesday’s loss. The Pelicans are giving several players more playing time than usual and guard Tim Frazier is averaging 13.8 points in four games since joining the team.
ABOUT THE PACERS (37-33): Indiana is getting a nice break in the schedule down the stretch and will close the season with nine of the final 13 games against teams with losing records, beginning with Monday’s win over Philadelphia. The Pacers got a boost in that win off the bench from point guard Ty Lawson, who sprained an ankle five minutes into his team debut on March 7 and missed the next five games before logging 15 minutes on Monday. "I felt good, just trying to get my wind back," Lawson told reporters. "I felt comfortable. I was just eager to get out there, man. I spent a long time waiting to get out there and play. It felt good."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Babbitt is 6-of-8 from 3-point range in the last five games.
2. Pacers G George Hill is 18-of-28 from the field in the last three contests.
3. Indiana has taken nine of the last 10 in the series, including a 91-86 triumph in New Orleans on Jan. 8 in which Davis exited three minutes into the first quarter with a back injury.