National Basketball Association

New Orleans Pelicans Prepare for Battle with Indiana Pacers

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The New Orleans Pelicans are planning ahead for their second preseason game, facing off against the Indiana Pacers at home tonight.

Tonight marks the second preseason game for the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Pelicans will stay at home to battle the Indiana Pacers. This will be a battle between teams with varying styles of play.

Indiana is known for their slower pace of basketball, something they used with current Pelicans Solomon Hill and Lance Stephenson in the past.

On the other hand, New Orleans seems poised to be an offensive team once again. In their 116-102 win against the Mavericks, the Pelicans attempted 82 shots from the field, turning the game into a track meet.

This did work in their favor against a Mavericks team with plenty of starters sitting out. However, it may get trickier against this Pacers squad. This is Indiana’s first preseason game, so they will have their own adjustments to make with a brand new roster.

New cast members Jeff Teague and Thaddeus Young will likely get time on the floor for Indiana. And when you add along rising superstar Paul George, the Pelicans will have a tough task.

New Orleans will continue to focus on their young players in this game. While veteran players will get time, the focus should continue to be giving guys like Buddy Hield, Tim Frazier, E’Twaun Moore, Langston Galloway and Terrence Jones the most run.

Their goal is to decipher what minutes to give out to begin the season and what role each player will suffice. They will also look at guys like Lance Stephenson and possibly deeper bench players like Shawn Dawson.

The Pelicans are at 19 players. Therefore, deciding who will be cut next should be in the near future. For the fringe-roster guys, their minutes tonight will be massive, with the recent release of Chris Copeland.

There are only six preseason games on the schedule for New Orleans. Each one carries great importance. Developing a system each player knows and can execute well is key for this upcoming season. Therefore, this game will be another teaching lesson for the new and younger players on the Pelicans.

The New Orleans Pelicans are still early into the preseason. Yet, with time running out before the season begins, every game is important. Head Coach Alvin Gentry has high hopes for the Pelicans. For those hopes to come true, New Orleans needs to make every second of this game count. A battle against an Eastern Conference playoff team is a good barometer for where this team stands before the 2016-2017 season begins.