The host New Orleans Pelicans and the Indiana Pacers meet on Saturday riding opposite trajectories over their last three games.
The Pelicans want to build on their longest winning streak of the season, currently at three games, when they welcome the Pacers for the first matchup between the teams this season. New Orleans rallied from down 22 points at halftime on Thursday to beat Houston in overtime, 133-128, coming after defeats of Portland and Chicago.
“Resilient, tough, physical: Everything we talked about over the last few weeks,” Pelicans coach James Borrego said of his squad following the franchise-record comeback. “It’s a team that reflects the city of New Orleans.”
Trey Murphy III has been a catalyst for the Pelicans’ recent uptick in results, with his 27 points on Thursday marking his seventh consecutive game with at least 20. Saddiq Bey notched a team-high 29 points vs. the Rockets, including a clutch jumper in the final minute to help secure the win, and Derik Queen posted a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double.
Borrego also praised the efforts of Herb Jones for leading the rally. Jones scored 18 points, but more significantly, fueled New Orleans defensively with eight steals.
While it has been tough sledding for the Pelicans for most of the season, with half of their total wins on the campaign coming during this current streak, they can capitalize on the momentum with five of their next six games at home.
That includes Saturday’s contest vs. Indiana, which is on a three-game losing streak following a 114-113 heartbreaker against the New York Knicks on Thursday.
The Pacers surrendered five fourth-quarter 3-pointers to a Knicks team fresh off claiming the 2025 NBA Cup, and Indiana’s lead going into the final period evaporated.
Thursday’s loss extended a downturn that has followed the reigning Eastern Conference champion’s most promising stretch of 2025-26, during which the Pacers won four of six after opening the season just 2-16.
In seeking a spark amid a rash of injuries, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle reintegrated the recently returned Quenton Jackson into the starting lineup vs. New York.
Jackson missed more than a month due to a right hamstring injury. After scoring just one point in eight minutes off the bench during Indiana’s 108-89 loss to Washington last Sunday, Jackson went for 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal while matched up with New York’s All-NBA guard Jalen Brunson.
“Quenton’s an aggressive player, and he’s done a lot of good things for us the last two-plus years,” Carlisle said. “He did a lot of good things on both sides of the ball … We just got to keep coaching these guys, got to keep being positive, keep encouraging them.”
Jackson’s return provides some relief to a backcourt ravaged by injuries. In addition to the season-long absence of All-NBA playmaker Tyrese Haliburton, who sustained a torn Achilles in the NBA Finals, the Pacers have gone stretches without key contributing guards Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell.
Forward Pascal Siakam has been a stalwart for Indiana, averaging 23.8 points per game, but has lacked stability in the rotations around him.
–Field Level Media
