Indiana Pacers @ New Orleans Hornets
Friday, February 19
8:00 pm EST
New Orleans Arena
New Orleans, Louisiana
————-
The Pacers sure do need a win.
No deals were made before the deadline and the fan base seems to be as frustrated as I can remember. The past few years with the crime and off-court embarrassment were worse, sure, but this is a different kind of disillusionment and frustration. This is a fan base with no faith that the team can win a game. And with good reason.
There isn’t really a ton to say about tonight’s game specifically. The Hornets aren’t that good, and Chris Paul isn’t playing. The Pacers blew a decent chance to beat the Spurs the other night and can hopefully use that disappointment to knock off a non-threatening swarm of Bees tonight in New Orleans. Of course, the Pacers are horrible on the road (6-20 on the year), so every team not named the Nets is a heavy favorite in their own building, but theoretically, this is a very winnable game if Indy can make its shots.
That’s always the big if though, isn’t it?
But c’mon, Indy, let’s give the fans a reason to care — if only for one evening.
| Pacers | @ | Hornets |
|---|---|---|
| 18-35 (14th) | Overall Record (Conf Rank) | 28-26 (10th) |
| 6-20 (Road) | Home / Road Records | 17-9 (Home) |
| 3-7 | Record Last 10 Games | 4-6 |
| Lost 3 | Current Streak | Lost 1 |
| 1-4 | Last 5 Head-to-Head | 4-1 |
| -4.91 (28th) | Avg Scoring Margin | -1.26 (19th) |
| 101.4 (28th) | Offensive Rating | 106.9 (13th) |
| 43.7% (27th) | FG% | 45.5% (18th) |
| 48.1% (24th) | eFG% | 50.0% (13th) |
| 106.5 (14th) | Defensive Rating | 108.2 (18th) |
| 45.2% (10th) | Opponent's FG% | 47.4% (25th) |
| 48.8% (9th) | Opponent's eFG% | 51.4% (24th) |
| 97.5 (2nd) | Pace | 92.3 (17th) |
Related Posts:
- Game #41 Preview: Half-Way Done
- Game #36 Preview: Hopeful in OKC
- Game #4 Preview: Need Win, Will Travel
- Game #24 Preview: Stealing a Road Win in Memphis by Shooting Well Against Bad D
- Game #45 Preview: Lying. Not Really a Preview
Jared Wade founded 8 Points, 9 Seconds in 2009 and has written about the NBA at outlets including ESPN.com, Hoopspeak, Both Teams Played Hard, and Hardwood Paroxysm. Follow him on Twitter @Jared_Wade or @8pts9secs.
{ 1 comment }
“The Hornets aren’t that good, and Chris Paul isn’t playing.”
LOL! Wow. And yet the Pacers still lost.