There's little reason to think the Indiana Pacers' five-game homestand won't end positively Thursday night.
The Pacers are at full strength and their opponent far from it. The New Orleans Pelicans also happen to be the team against which Indiana has its longest active winning streak.
Plus, the Pacers are fighting to make the playoffs whereas the injury-ravaged Pelicans are lottery-bound, but New Orleans has been no pushover lately for quality opponents.
"We all understand how important every single game is," Indiana coach Frank Vogel said at Tuesday's practice. "We talk frequently about the fact that we missed the playoffs by one game last year.