Pelicans vs Pacers

The New Orleans Pelicans look to avoid a season series sweep when the Indiana Pacers visit the Smoothie King Center.

Daniels (8th) and Bennedict Mathurin (6th) both attended the NBA Global Academy as well so seeing that program on the big stage right after Christmas is an added bonus. are all in the top seven in minutes played. [Brandon Ingram](https://www.si.com/nba/pelicans) (left toe contusion), E.J. The Smoothie King Center faithful should enjoy these moments while they can. Tyrese Haliburton is playing the best basketball of his NBA career. If Turner proves too agile, Jaxson Hayes will be the next man up. Indiana catching the Pelicans shorthanded due to the injury report gives Rick Carlisle's squad a good shot at sweeping the season series. CJ McCollum and Jose Alvarado will have their hands full trying to keep Haliburton in check. [Zion](https://www.si.com/nba/pelicans) Williamson (return to competition reconditioning) is officially doubtful coming out of the morning shootaround. Kendall Brown (tibia stress reaction) and Daniel Theis (knee surgery) have been ruled out. However, like a lump of coal in the stocking, the injury report brings some bad news to both teams' fanbases. The Pacers have listed Aaron Nesmith (ankle) and Jalen Smith (knee) as questionable.

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Indiana Pacers post game quotes from Pelicans head coach Willie Green and players on Monday, December 26, 2022.

You never know what could happen to you and to work as hard as you can. Guys getting an opportunity to play is just a blessing to see the work that they put in with the coaches and our staff. It’s truly a blessing and it shows you to not take the game for granted.

The Indiana Pacers visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday. We continue our NBA odds series with a Pacers-Pelicans prediction and pick.

With a 19-5-6 line for the season, McCollum provides the Pelicans with a solid baseline and the additional potential to have a breakout game. The burley center drained seven of 10 threes in their loss to the Bucks in what was arguably the best game of his career. With New Orleans missing some key guys tonight, I like Indiana to pull off the upset tonight. That being said, the Pelicans are a deep team and certainly have the personnel to get it done tonight. The Pelicans are 17-15 against the spread while 59% of their games have gone over. The Pacers are 19-14 against the spread while 56% of their games have gone under. The Pacers have been frisky all season but have really turned a corner over the last few weeks. He’s been efficient on the offensive end as he’s shooting 48% from the field and 41% from beyond the arc. Hield has been red-hot over their last five games as well, making over four threes per game at a 55% clip. New Orleans can’t expect McCollum to have 40 points again tonight so they’ll need someone else to step up and take on some of the scoring load. They arrive in New Orleans tonight fresh off back-to-back road victories over Eastern Conference powerhouses Boston and Miami. He’s an elite outside shooter who is making 41% of his threes on over nine attempts per game.

Starting wings Herb Jones (health and safety protocols) and Brandon Ingram (toe) are already ruled out, while Dyson Daniels, Trey Murphy and Larry Nance Jr. are ...

In its most recent game at Miami, Indiana started four players who are essentially guards (Nembhard, Haliburton, Mathurin, Hield), while New Orleans often relies on bigs (Williamson and Valanciunas have logged the third- and fourth-most total minutes for the Pelicans). That was the only time in the versatile guard’s first 18 games of 2022-23 that he was held to single-digit scoring. … The Pelicans are in second place in the West, one game behind first-place Denver (21-11). The Pelicans used 23 different first units last season, which is about an average number for one team in today’s NBA. Notes: This group is 2-0, the ninth different starting lineup New Orleans has used this season. Several NBA analysts have begun referring to New Orleans as “the deepest team in the NBA” or are at least placing the Pelicans in the conversation of most talented rosters from player 1 through 15. The Pacers used a whopping 37 different first units last season, amid numerous injuries and in-season transactions. In Friday’s overtime win at Oklahoma City, forward/center Jaxson Hayes joined the lengthy list of Pelicans who’ve responded to being forced to fill a larger role after a previous stretch of inactivity. Still, this is far from the first time that New Orleans has been forced to compensate for DNPs from starters, such as an Oct. Go-to guy: In a 129-122 road loss on Nov. I know he wants to continue to do more of that. Every game is a tough game in the NBA, but especially when you’re missing some guys.

The Indiana Pacers take on the New Orleans Pelicans on the road for their second meeting this season. Here are the latest odds and predictions.

New Orleans is a tough draw for Indiana, especially on the road. Indiana kicks off 2023 with a matchup against Toronto. While the Pelicans are still missing Brandon Ingram, they have more than enough talent and depth on both ends to dominate. Daniel Theis (knee) and Kendall Brown (leg) have been ruled out against New Orleans. The latest odds from FanDuel Sportsbook have New Orleans as sizable -6.5 favorites at home against visiting Indiana. While Indiana has beaten them in their previous meeting this season, New Orleans has been one of the best teams in the league despite being rummaged by injuries.