With Goga Bitadze defending at weird angles and Isaiah Jackson biting on every pump fake, the Pacers played 15 minutes in New Orleans without a center on the floor. Instead, pivoting to small-ball — even at the risk of Jonas Valanciunas throwing his weight around in the lane and inhaling offensive rebounds — as a recourse for bandaging what had mostly been porous perimeter containment while also managing foul trouble.
For the most part, nothing exactly worked, as the Pelicans tallied 93 of their 117 points either in the paint or at the free throw line; however, much like this season as a whole for the Pacers, it’s arguably more worthwhile to search for the flash of gain as opposed to focusing on the pain.