Marshall leads short-handed Pelicans past Pacers, 113-93

The short-handed New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Indiana Pacers 113-93 on Monday night behind career-high performances from Naji Marshall (22) and Jonas Valanciunas (20 points, 12 rebounds).

Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones, and Trey Murphy III were all out for New Orleans, so CJ McCollum stepped up with 19 points.

You can’t expect ten players to average 20 points per game, as Valanciunas put it. When your name is called, you must answer.

The Pacers were led by Bennedict Mathurin, a rookie off the bench, who scored 15 points. Myles Turner led Indiana with 14 points.

To this point in the season, this is New Orleans’ strongest defensive performance. They limited Indiana to only 38 points on 14 field goals in the first half. After taking a 57-38 halftime lead, the Pelicans never trailed by less than ten points.

New Orleans head coach Willie Green remarked of his team’s defensive effort, “That’s what it’s about for us.” Upon my arrival, I stressed the importance of trying to establish a solid defensive foundation since it may last for a long time. Whatever offense we have is temporary. We had an off night from the field, but we held them to to one point by making some key defensive stops. Our efforts thus far have been fruitful.