New Orleans Lulled to Sleep by Pacers in Nap City Defeat

In 1966, Adam West’s Batman famously exclaimed, “Some days you just can’t get rid of a bomb.” Tonight, the Pelicans failed to sink any three point bombs of their own.

Luke Babbitt, who is on fire from downtown this season (shooting 32-62, good for 51.6% and 3rd in the NBA), nailed 3 of 5 attempts from behind the arc. The rest of the Pelicans? 1-15, with the only other make coming from John Salmons.

Ryan Anderson (0-6) continued his out-of-New Orleans shooting woes tonight. He is here to launch threes, but he has to start hitting them against teams other than the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Jrue Holiday also had trouble scoring tonight.  Holiday was 0-5 from deep, and finished the night 7-21 from the floor. Early foul trouble halted his ability to get in a rhythm, but it was a disappointing showing nonetheless.

Dec 23, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) makes a pass against Indiana Pacers center

(55) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats New Orleans 96-84. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The inability to knock down open shots coupled with the always-stout Indiana Pacers interior defense proved to be too much for New Orleans. The Pacers, who rank 19th in blocks per game this season, managed block 11 shots in the first half alone.

Roy Hibbert continues to be a defensive machine. The Pels could not get any easy looks at the rim from close range, especially with David West there to assist in the post.

Somehow, amidst all the talk of stout interior defense and the force that is Roy Hibbert, Tyreke Evans still managed to get his at the basket and finished with 14 points on 6-13 shooting. Why Evans continues to be more effective against stingier defenses is beyond me.

With George Hill back in the lineup, the perimeter becomes significantly harder to penetrate. Lavoy Allen, CJ Miles and Solomon Hill all seem to know what to do on defense, and that is a product of a strong system built by head coach Frank Vogel.

The Pacers, who rank 29th in offensive efficiency, were able to find open shots and get to the lane with ease. The score may not indicate an offensive success but at the pace Indiana tends to play, their offense produced more than they could have possibly asked for.

As a team, Indiana shot 50% from the field (39-78) and had six players score in double digits. No matter who had the ball in their hands, shots were falling. David West (13 points) knocked down his patented mid range jump shots, George Hill (15 points) managed to get into a rhythm in his season debut and Solomon Hill (13 points) had no trouble finding his spots.

This Pacers unit has remained mostly intact for the past few seasons (with Paul George and Lance Stephenson being the only starters leaving), so they are not strangers to Frank Vogel’s defensive game plan. The amount of comfort Hill, West and Hibbert exhibit when playing and communicating with each other is hopefully what New Orleans can develop, and is a key to whatever success they achieve.

The Pacers ironically enough have the unique ability to dictate the pace of the game into what they are comfortable with. New Orleans tends to do the opposite. It is sickening to see a team with so much athleticism not push the pace on a more consistent basis. Tonight, Indiana topped the Pelicans in fast break points. That is unacceptable.

Dec 23, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers guard George Hill (3) takes a shot against New Orleans Pelicans guard

(25) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Holiday and Evans make up one of the most athletic backcourt duos in the league and with Davis’ gazelle like ability to run the floor, the Pelicans are doing a disservice to the league by not trying to get some transition baskets.

Alas, the defense still rings as the main issue here. The threes will fall eventually (hopefully), and the scorers will break out of their respective slumps. But the team defense must change their mentality if the playoffs are truly a goal for this season. Too many easy looks are given to players that cannot possibly create that kind of space on their own. Give credit to Indiana for taking advantage, but the Pelicans continued their trend of not defending well.

If all went as planned, New Orleans would have left Indiana with a win as they head into a brutal duo of back to backs to end the calendar year. Now, the Pelicans must seek to get back to their winning ways against the Spurs on Friday.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!