Indiana Pacers Dominate New Orleans Pelicans 119-104, Complete Weekend Sweep Behind Strong Team Effort”

The Indiana Pacers enjoyed a four-day break earlier this week, courtesy of the NBA Cup. Refreshed and energized, Indiana returned to action this weekend, sweeping a pair of games. After their victory in Philadelphia on Friday night, they defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 119-104 on Sunday evening at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Sunday’s win was perhaps the most dominant of the season for the Pacers (12-15). They took a 17-point lead into halftime, extended it to as much as 25 in the third quarter, and never allowed New Orleans (5-22) to get within single digits.

Five Pacers players scored in double figures in the win. Pascal Siakam, who led the team with 22 points, scored 16 of them in the second half, while Tyrese Haliburton contributed 21 points, 10 assists, and three steals, shooting 4-for-8 from beyond the arc.

Indiana shot 16-for-38 (42.1%) from three-point range, while New Orleans struggled at 10-for-33 (30.3%).

“It’s a great win,” said Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle. “Wins haven’t come easy. We did a lot of good things.”

Indiana made their presence felt at the free-throw line early, scoring nine of their first 16 points from the charity stripe. They then found their rhythm from the field, with Haliburton hitting two threes and Obi Toppin adding two off the bench to give the Pacers a 31-28 lead after the first quarter.

Thomas Bryant, who was officially acquired by the Pacers earlier that day in a trade with Miami, made his debut with 5:14 left in the first quarter. The former Indiana University big man hit his only shot in his first stint, a mid-range jumper that got a favorable bounce at 3:39. Bryant later added a three-pointer early in the second quarter, putting Indiana up 39-29.

“Felt blessed,” Bryant said after the game. “It’s a business, and things happen fast sometimes, but knowing I was coming back to Indiana where I played in college and joining a great group of guys, I felt great about it.”

Indiana closed the first half with a strong 11-0 run, holding New Orleans scoreless for over four minutes before Yves Missi scored in the final seconds. The Pacers outscored the Pelicans 28-14 in the second quarter, heading into halftime with a 59-42 lead.

The Pacers picked up right where they left off after the break, opening the third quarter with an 8-2 run to push the lead to 23. After a quick 7-0 run from New Orleans, Haliburton took over. He hit his fourth three-pointer of the night, then stole a pass from CJ McCollum and finished the fast break with a two-hand reverse dunk, sending the Pacers’ bench into celebration. Haliburton followed that up with another steal and a layup in transition, putting Indiana up 74-51, prompting a timeout from Pelicans coach Willie Green with 8:10 left in the third quarter.

Indiana’s lead grew to as large as 25 points in the third, and they entered the final quarter up 99-80.

The Pacers led 113-93 with under four minutes to go, but New Orleans mounted a quick 9-0 run to make it more competitive. However, Haliburton sealed the game with a lob pass to Toppin for an alley-oop dunk at 2:13.

Andrew Nembhard finished with 17 points and seven assists. Toppin added 16 points, five rebounds, and three steals off the bench, going 4-for-6 from three-point range. Myles Turner contributed 14 points, five rebounds, four blocks, and two steals.

For New Orleans, Brandon Boston Jr. led with 20 points off the bench, while Dejounte Murray posted 19 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. Herb Jones also scored 19 points.

The Pacers now have three days off before beginning a three-game West Coast trip, starting with Phoenix, followed by Sacramento and Golden State.