Preview: Pelicans at Pacers

[January 16, 2017]  The New Orleans Pelicans can still salvage a winning five-game road trip when they visit the Indiana Pacers for the finale on Monday. The Pelicans, who were hoping to make a move into the playoff race in the Western Conference in the first half of this month, dropped a 107-99 decision at Chicago on Saturday to fall to 2-4 in January.

New Orleans got star forward Anthony Davis back from a one-game absence due to a hip injury on Saturday but was still outrebounded 63-42 while giving up 21 offensive boards to the Bulls. "We just need to stop stargazing," Davis told reporters. "When the ball goes up, we all just kind of stare at it, instead of finding a body and going and getting the rebound. If we do that and put bodies on players, it makes rebounding a lot easier. When you’re just stargazing, you just give the offense the chance to get the rebound." The Pelicans should have an easier time on the boards against the Pacers, who are in the bottom third of the league in rebound average (42.4) and were outrebounded 52-39 while getting crushed 140-112 by the Denver Nuggets in London. "I think that we didn't bring it defensively, we didn't play the same way that we've been playing," swingman Glenn Robinson III told reporters. "Pressuring teams and having fun on defense. Really getting after it."

TV: 4 p.m. ET, NBA TV, FSN New Orleans, FSN Indiana

ABOUT THE PELICANS (16-25): New Orleans sandwiched wins at New York and Brooklyn around losses to Boston and Chicago on the road trip and surrendered a total of 36 offensive rebounds in the two losses. "I think it’s pretty obvious that the rebounding was the difference in the game," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters after Saturday's setback. "Our defense was solid, even with the rebounding struggles we had. They still shot 42 percent, but you can’t give up 21 offensive rebounds and expect to win the game. You can’t do that." Davis grabbed 14 boards to go along with 36 points against the Bulls.

ABOUT THE PACERS (20-19): Indiana won five straight prior to the trip to London and was ready to brush aside the poor performance before heading back across the Atlantic. "It's one game for us," Pacers coach Nate McMillan told reporters after the loss. "We've been playing well and doing a lot of good things, but tonight, we weren't even close to the team we've been." Star forward Paul George should be happy to be back on American soil after slumping to 10 points on 2-of-12 shooting against the Nuggets.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Pacers C Myles Turner had a string of 17 straight games scoring in double figures come to an end with nine points on Thursday.

2. Pelicans PF Donatas Motiejunas totaled six points in the last three games after putting up 11 in his team debut on Jan. 7.

3. Davis collected 35 points and 15 rebounds when New Orleans earned a 102-95 home win over Indiana on Dec. 15.

PREDICTION: Pelicans 116, Pacers 112

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