Pacers don't need Colts-like miracle to beat Pelicans

The Pacers defeated the visiting New Orleans Pelicans 99-82 Saturday night. The Pacers improved to 26-6 overall, the best record in the NBA by percentage points, while the Pelicans fell to 15-17.
The Big Plays
This one was pretty simple to figure out as the Pacers went on an 18-0 run in the third quarter that helped turn a 49-44 halftime deficit into a 74-61 advantage by the end of the of the quarter. The Pelicans scored at the 8:09 on the third quarter to take a 57-52 lead. They didn't score again until the 1:48 mark of the quarter when the Pacers had built the lead to 13. The Pacers took the lead for good on a Lance Stephenson reverse layup with 6:12 remaining. It was two of his 12 points in the quarter.
The Ups

Paul George had 24 points and 10 rebounds as the Pacers
defeated the visiting New Orleans Pelicans Saturday night.

1) Yes, it was the third quarter where the Pacers definitively took control of the game, but their upward trend started sooner than that. The Pelicans jumped to a 27-13 lead by late in the first quarter, but the defense picked up in the second quarter and came to full fruition in the third. After that start, the Pacers outscored the Pelicans 86-55 the rest of the game. So, no miracle Colts-like comeback was needed here. The Pacers maybe sensed early on something similar to what happened in Toronto Wednesday, a loss, might be happening again, and played with that sense of urgency Pacers fans have been accustomed to seeing this season. And it was nice to see in the final three quarters of this game, too. The Pacers held an opponent under 90 points for the 17th time this season and not surprisingly, they have won all of those games.
2) One of the players who had that sense of urgency, especially in the second half was Stephenson. When he plays with the energy and confidence he had in the third quarter, the Pacers are very difficult to beat. Stephenson finished with 19 points, six rebounds and four assists, so there was not a legitimate triple-double watch in this game, but after a couple of sub-par outings, it was good to see Stephenson back in rhythm again and feeling good about his game.
3) The Pacers bench seems to be falling into place quite nicely now that Danny Granger continues to fit in. Granger had 13 points to lead a Pacers bench that scored 30 points in the game, while the Pelicans bench scored just 18 points, though its depth was hurt as starting power forward Ryan Anderson was not available for the game due to an injured neck. It was also nice too, that the bench, with the help of Luis Scola and C.J. Watson, helped cut into the Pelicans early lead.
The Downs
1) The biggest issue in this game for the Pacers was that slow start. Scoring 15 points in a quarter is not what any team wants, especially when you are allowing 27 in the same quarter and especially when you are at home in front of a sellout crowd. It's true that most teams experience a lull in every game, so maybe the Pacers' lull was just in the beginning this time. But it would be nice to see them jump out to a big early lead every now and then, too. I suppose this is nitpicking though, since the Pacers do have a 16-1 mark at home.
Afterthoughts
It was good to see the Pacers re-establish their confidence after being a bit flat-footed in Toronto earlier this week. What's good about the Pacers is it seems after a loss, they rarely play bad in two straight games. It's the mark of a good team and something the Pacers need to continue to do if they want to secure the best record in the East and possibly the best record in the league. They've already had winning streaks of nine, seven and five games this season. So the question with this team isn't about if they will have a losing streak, but how long the next winning streak will be.
Next Up
The Pacers play a second night of a back-to-back at Cleveland tonight. They defeated the Cavaliers on Tuesday 91-76, so the Cavs will be looking for a bit of revenge. The Cavs are led by Kyrie Irving at 22 points and six assists, Dion Waiters and 15 points a game and power forward Tristan Thompson at 12 points and almost 10 rebounds. Irving's status for the game is still in question as he injured his knee during Tuesday's loss to the Pacers. Though he returned to that game, he did not play in the Cavs next two games, including their 89-82 loss to Brooklyn Saturday, which dropped their record to 11-22. And of the Pacers' six losses this season, four have come on the second night of back-to-backs, so that's a trend they will want to reverse.