Winning the first game of the season on the road is always a difficult challenge, but the Indiana Pacers were able to do that with a gritty 123-120 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Pacers were carried the majority of the game by their starters, but the play of Obi Toppin off the bench was just as important. With Aaron Nesmith and T.J. McConnell both sidelined with hamstring injuries --as well as foul trouble early in the first half-- this weakened the Pacers' bench depth and caused them to play lineup combinations nobody ever envisioned.

To start the second quarter, Coach Carlisle inserted Larry Nance Jr. into the lineup for Toppin with Tyrese Haliburton, Quenton Jackson, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Pascal Siakam. This group struggled mightily and put up a -133.3 net rating in just 2 minutes of play.

Oct 21, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Derik Queen (22) dribbles against Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin (1) during the second half at Smoothie King Center.…