The New Orleans Pelicans and Indiana Pacers entered Friday night’s game as the worst two teams in the NBA.
The Pelicans sit at the bottom of the Western Conference standings while the Pacers are doing the same thing in the Eastern Conference.
But somebody had to win Friday, and it was the Pacers who came away with a 127-119 victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Not even a splendid night from Zion Williamson and a balanced attack was enough for the Pelicans (10-34) to carry over momentum from Wednesday’s win against the Brooklyn Nets.
Indiana came into the game as the third-worst scoring team in the league, averaging 110.6 points per game. It was hard to tell after watching the Pacers torch the Pelicans for 73 points in the first half. The 127 points were the third-most points the Pacers have scored all season.
“The biggest thing is they had 20 more shots on goal,” Pelicans interim coach James Borrego said. “We did enough offensively, even though I don’t think the second half was great offensively. But we just didn’t get enough stops.”
Williamson finished with 27 points and missed just two shots all game. He made 10 of 12 from the floor to go with his six rebounds and seven assists. Williamson didn’t miss his first shot until the 7:07 mark of the third quarter.
Five other Pelicans scored in double figures. Trey Murphy scored 22 points, including 5 of 14 on 3-pointers to go with five assists and four rebounds. It’s the seventh straight game Murphy has scored at least 20 points. Saddiq Bey finished with 20, and Jordan Poole came off the bench to chip in 11.
Rookie center Derik Queen recorded his ninth double-double of the season, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
The Pacers (10-32), who lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in last season’s NBA Finals, finally reached double-digit wins this season. Their win total ties the Pelicans (10-34), who were hoping to sweep the Pacers after beating them 128-109 in New Orleans in December. But the Pacers flipped the script this time around.
The Pels trailed 33-31 at the end of the first quarter, but the Pacers went on an 18-4 run in the second quarter to build a 63-48 lead. The Pelicans responded with a 15-3 run to trim the deficit to 66-63. The Pacers led 73-66 at halftime. Williamson shot a 8 for 8 from the floor in the half for 21 points.
Indiana center Jay Huff scored a career-high 29 points to lead the Pacers. His previous high was 22 points. Huff was just as impressive as Williamson, shooting 13 for 17 from the floor.
“He made some big shots,” Borrego said of Huff. “They moved it, they shared it, they trusted it, and they played with great pace.”
Pascal Siakam scored 27 points for the Pacers.
The Pelicans play on the road against the Houston Rockets on Sunday.