3 takeaways as Indiana Pacers are embarrassed by New Orleans Pelicans on the road

The Pacers are back to .500 after getting crushed by the Pelicans

The Indiana Pacers won two impressive games late last week in Boston and Miami. They climbed back over .500 and had some momentum on their side, and they were playing against a banged-up New Orleans Pelicans team on Monday night. It looked like the Pacers had an opportunity to begin a decent winning streak in The Big Easy.

Instead, they were embarrassed by the shorthanded Pelicans. Without Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, among other absences, New Orleans defended Indiana well and held the Pacers to 93 points, their second lowest total of the season. The Pelicans, meanwhile, scored 113 points themselves. It was a blowout, and it wasn't close from the middle of the second quarter onward.

Early on, it looked like the Pacers could run away with this game. After six minutes of action, they took a double-digit lead and held a 16-6 advantage. Myles Turner was finding space in the Pelicans' defense, and Tyrese Haliburton had a couple assists. Indiana had a game plan that looked good.

It all fell apart. By the end of the quarter, the Pacers were down six, and they were down 20 with 6:55 to go in the second frame. From the 6:06 mark in the first quarter to the 6:31 mark in the second quarter, Indiana scored seven points. They nearly went a full quarter of time without scoring eight points. Indiana's offense was awful all night.

It was one of the Pacers' worst losses of the season. They looked uninterested and lethargic, and they had no answers for the Pelicans. The team will have little time to regroup, too, as they host the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night. It's important that they try to forget this game and focus on being better in their next outing.

The takeaways for the Pacers are overwhelmingly negative after a big loss dropped them to 17-17 on the season.

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The Pacers don't win when they don't rebound

The Pelicans grabbed 54 rebounds while the Pacers only scooped up 36. That difference played an enormous part in the result of the game.

Of course, the Pacers shot a worse percentage from the field, meaning New Orleans had more chances to actually grab defensive rebounds. But 18 rebounds is a deficit that goes beyond shooting percentages. The blue and gold simply got their butts kicked on the boards.

The Pelicans had 16 offensive rebounds and 26 second chance points, and the Pacers are now 2-4 when their opponent hauls in 54 or more rebounds. They have to be better on the glass.

The Pacers died by the three

As the saying goes in basketball, "live by the three, die by the three." In this game, poor outside shooting hurt the Pacers.

Indiana shot 9/35 from deep. It was just the second time this season that the blue and gold made fewer than 10 threes in a game, and only two individual players made more than one (Myles Turner and Buddy Hield).

The Pacers are now 1-7 when they make fewer than 12 threes. In this game, they died by the three.

Aaron Nesmith was a bright spot

Very few rotation players met their typical standard for the Pacers in this game, but Aaron Nesmith was one of them. Out of all Indiana players who spent more than 12 minutes on the court, Nesmith was the only one with a positive +/-.

The third-year pro was a +3, and he knocked down five of his eight two-point shots. He finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and two assists in the game, and his defense was solid. He continues to play well during the month of December, even when his team struggles.

Nesmith and the Pacers will look to bounce back Tuesday night when they host the Atlanta Hawks.

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• Report: Myles Turner and Indiana Pacers open up contract extension talks. CLICK HERE.
• Aaron Nesmith is in a groove for the Indiana Pacers: 'Just playing free, playing to my strengths.' CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton won't be stopped by more defensive attention. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers wing Chris Duarte looks comfortable in return vs New York Knicks. CLICK HERE.
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