2 studs, 3 duds from the Pacers' loss to the inferior Pelicans

Although it looked like the tide was turning for the Indiana Pacers after their overtime win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, they failed to build on their momentum on Friday night and lost to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Despite being without notable players like CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray and Herbert Jones, the Pelicans defeated the Pacers 125-118. For the fifth time in six games, the Pacers failed to score more than 120 points and are now 2-4.

Despite the loss, it wasn't all bad for Indiana. Here are two guys and three duds from the Pacers' loss to New Orleans.

By far the most impressive pacer in the loss was Ben Sheppard. After Aaron Nesmith suffered an ankle injury in the first half that sidelined him for the remainder of the game, Sheppard took on a larger role and made the most of it.

The Atlanta native scored a team-high 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting off the bench. Additionally, he recorded three rebounds and one assist. Sheppard already looked solid early in the season and deserved a larger role in the rotation. With Nembhard and Nesmith's status for the upcoming games unknown, Sheppard could have a big opportunity ahead of him.

To say that Tyrese Haliburton's season so far has been disappointing is an understatement. He didn't look like himself at the start of the new season and had another poor performance against New Orleans.

In the loss, Haliburton scored 11 points on 2-for-8 shooting, 11 assists and two rebounds. It's still too early to panic about Haliburton, but it's starting to get to the point where fans can get really worried. This season he is now averaging 14 points on 33.7% shooting, 4.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.2 steals.

The Wisconsin native hasn't played at the same pace that was crucial to his success last season. He still has plenty of time to turn things around, but his season hit another low point in New Orleans.

From a team perspective, Indiana's rebounding, as usual, was probably their biggest weakness against the Pelicans. The Pacers grabbed 39 boards, the Pelicans 46. To make matters worse for the Pacers, their leading rebounder in the game, Isaiah Jackson, who grabbed eight rebounds in 16 minutes, suffered a leg injury that will likely sideline him for several games .

The Pacers were never going to be a great rebounding team, but it's still a big problem, and that was proven against the Pelicans.

Speaking of poor rebounders, Myles Turner didn't have a good game after returning from injury. In the game, the big man scored 12 points on 5-for-12 shooting, four rebounds, two assists, one block and four turnovers. His performance is even worse when you consider that he was playing against Yves Missi, a rookie who was starting for the first time and outperforming him in the game.

Additionally, despite a solid start to the year, Turner looked poor defensively in the loss, especially late in the game when Missi hit him against the post, ending the game. It's unclear how much of this is due to his ankle injury, but it's still a concern.

With Jackson's injury, Turner is now the only healthy center on the team. While he is a fantastic player and has established himself as a cornerback at Indiana, this is a bit concerning for a team that is already one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA.

TJ McConnell looked solid against the Pelicans, which was significant given Nembhard's absence and Haliburton's struggles. In the game, he scored 10 points on 5-for-9 shooting, three rebounds, nine assists and one steal.

Additionally, McConnell brings much of the pace that the team lacks, while Haliburton is a point ahead. McConnell is certainly not on the same level as Haliburton, but it's something to keep an eye on going forward.