There have been plenty of fun games between the Indiana Pacers and New Orleans Pelicans over the years. And it pitted two of the association’s more interesting teams against each other, both in search of a signature win in the early weeks of the NBA season.
Game Overview
The game took place on the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans as many fans were present as they came to watch their teams play. The Pacers were looking to capitalize on their fast paced offense and growing young stars to gain some traction, and the Pelicans were looking to flex their dominant frontcourt led by opening night shiny new toy Zion Williamson in their home opener.
First Half Highlights OF pacers vs pelicans
The action that started with the tip-off was high energy and competitive. The Pacers delivered a message early, using their ability to shoot the long-ball and ball movement to get out to a quick early lead. At the heart of this was Tyrese Haliburton, who when on the floor played the role of the lead playmaker, dishing out passes, facilitating the offense, and finding wide-open shots for his teammates.
But Williamson was a weapon in transition, with so much offensive arsenal to respond the other way as the Pelicans scored on 69 percent of their possessions over the next six minutes. Brandon Ingram also had huge contributions, knocking down some key mid-range jumpers and keeping the Pelicans alive. That made for a close score heading into halftime, foreshadowing a back and forth second half.
Second Half Action pacers vs pelicans
The second half saw both sides up their defensive game. The Pacers limited Williamson to just nine points by running double-teams and other defensive schemes his way. Still, the Pels were able to spot mismatches and keep up the attack on Indiana.
It was the second of three lead changes in the game — each team went back and forth in the basket barn. Highlight-reel plays on both sides led to a raucous crowd boasting 40,000 temporarily displaced fans.
