New Orleans @ Indiana preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 16, 2017 ) New Orleans 95, Indiana 98

The Indiana Pacers started their road trip off with a bang but limp back home after dropping the final two stops of the three-game trip at Philadelphia and New York. The New Orleans Pelicans, who visit the Pacers on Tuesday, are moving in the opposite direction with wins in back-to-back road contests.

The Pelicans did not reach 100 points in any of their last four games but managed to outlast a pair of teams at the bottom of their respective conferences in the Dallas Mavericks and Chicago Bulls. "No matter what, it's tough to get a win on the road," Pelicans forward Anthony Davis told reporters. "We wanted to make sure we just come out and play. ... We just trusted our defense and that it would translate to offense." The Pacers are questioning their defense after squandering a 19-point lead in a 108-101 loss at the New York Knicks on Sunday, during which they were outscored 36-17 in the fourth quarter. "You need to have these wins," power forward Thaddeus Young told the team's website. "You can say it's a long season, but these are the ones that come back and hurt."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN New Orleans, FSN Indiana

ABOUT THE PELICANS (5-5): Davis and DeMarcus Cousins combined for 52 points and 27 rebounds in Saturday's 96-90 overtime win at Chicago, but both played more than 40 minutes, and the playing time is becoming a concern. "We're asking a lot of those guys, especially (Davis) and DeMarcus playing those kind of minutes," New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters. "... It's kind of a catch-22. Do you take them out? Or, do you try to win games and then try to find rest for them? We chose to leave them in and try to win the game." Davis logged over 40 minutes in each of the last four games and six of 10 while Cousins hit the mark three times already.

ABOUT THE PACERS (5-5): Indiana needs to figure out a way to keep Cousins and Davis off the glass after being outrebounded by the Knicks 52-41. Starting center Myles Turner recorded 21 points and 14 rebounds in the season opener but sat out the next seven games with a head injury and totaled 13 rebounds in two games since his return, including four in 24 minutes against New York. Domantas Sabonis posted double-digit rebounds in six straight games while starting in place of Turner and led the team with eight boards in 29 minutes off the bench on Sunday.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Pelicans PG Jrue Holiday is 0-of-14 from 3-point range in the last four games.

2. Pacers rookie PF TJ Leaf (ankle) sat out Sunday and is day-to-day.

3. The teams split two meetings last season, with each protecting home court.

PREDICTION: Pacers 111, Pelicans 98