NBA League Pass game of the day: Pacers at Pelicans (8 ET)

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Indiana made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. With Pascal Siakam with the team from the get-go, hype for this season reached a level not seen since the days of Roy Hibbert. The Pacers won a close one against the Pistons to start the year. Indiana then lost three games in a row. On Wednesday, the Pacers eked out a win against the Celtics in overtime. Maybe that is the win they needed to turn things around.
The Pelicans dealt depth away in order to bring Murray to town from the Hawks. In his first game for New Orleans, he had 14 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists against a single turnover. But he broke his hand in a way that left him with a 4-to-6 week timetable to return. The Pelicans’ pivot wasn’t too tricky, as they simply moved CJ McCollum back to point guard and Brandon Ingram to shooting guard. However, the Pelicans are already feeling the loss of Murray, as they’re hoping to get McCollum and Ingram back to their designated positions. 
When Zion Williamson is healthy, he is one of the most kinetic forces on the court. His problem has generally been staying healthy, but he played a career-high 70 games last season. Williamson will be worth watching against Myles Turner and company.
Haliburton has been an All-Star in both of his first two full seasons with the Pacers. Last year, he led the NBA in assists per game and was third-team All-NBA. He even made the gold-winning U.S. men’s national basketball team for the 2024 Olympics. Even so, Haliburton is off to a slow start to the 2024-25 season. After dishing 12 dimes against the Celtics, Haliburton has averaged just 6.6 assists per game through five outings this season, and he’s down to 14.6 points per contest as well.
The Pelicans drafted Missi out of Baylor with the 21st pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. While he’s been a backup big as a rookie, he’s been imposing around the rim. Missi has blocked nine shots through five games. With Turner’s skills as a shot blocker for the Pacers as well, there could be a lot of shots swatted Friday.