Pelicans hang on to top Pacers in makeup game

[March 22, 2018]  Anthony Davis had 28 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks as the New Orleans Pelicans held off the visiting Indiana Pacers 96-92 on Wednesday night in the Smoothie King Center.

E'Twaun Moore added 23 points, Nikola Mirotic scored 15 and Jrue Holiday, returning from a one-game absence caused by the flu, scored 10 as the Pelicans won their third consecutive game.

Victor Oladipo scored 21, Myles Turner had 13 points and 10 rebounds, Darren Collison added 11 points and Trevor Booker 10 to lead the Pacers.

The game was rescheduled from Feb. 7 when a leak in the Smoothie King Center roof made the floor unplayable.

The postponement is causing the Pelicans to play home games on three consecutive nights. They defeated the Dallas Mavericks 115-105 on Tuesday night, and they face the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

The schedule change also interrupted what would have been a three-game homestand featuring three consecutive days off for the Pacers, who beat the Lakers on Monday and host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday and the Miami Heat on Sunday.

Moore gave New Orleans the lead for good when he rebounded his own miss and made a layup for an 89-87 lead, and Davis added a fall-away jumper with 53 seconds left.

Holiday squandered an opportunity to increase the lead when he missed two free throws, but Davis tipped in the second miss for a 93-87 lead with 15 seconds left.

The Pelicans led by one at halftime, but Oladipo, Collison and Bojan Bogdanovich each made a 3-pointer as the Pacers took a 67-61 lead.

Pelicans guard Ian Clark (2) shoot past Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo (4) during the second half at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Pacers 96-92. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Mirotic and Moore made consecutive baskets as New Orleans trimmed the lead to 69-67 after three quarters.

Moore's tying basket started the fourth-quarter scoring, but Turner scored the next five points.

Holiday scored five points and Davis three during an 8-0 run that gave New Orleans a 77-74 lead.

Oladipo made two baskets and Indiana pulled even on a tip-in by Booker before Mirotic's second straight 3-pointer gave the Pelicans an 85-82 lead with 3:09 left.

The Pacers pulled even for the last time on a three-point play by Collison with 1:49 remaining.

Booker came off the bench to score eight points as Indiana took a 25-24 lead after the first quarter.

Davis scored just two points during the first 18 minutes but had nine during a New Orleans surge in the final half of the second quarter. Moore finished with 15 first-half points as the Pelicans took a 51-50 halftime lead.

--Field Level Media

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