Jay Huff didn’t just set a personal best—he flipped the script on Indiana’s season, torching New Orleans for 29 points and re-igniting playoff chatter in Indianapolis.
The Breakout Nobody Saw Coming
On a night when Tyrese Haliburton was still in street clothes and Myles Turner watched from the bench in a walking boot, the Pacers needed a hero. They got a 7-foot-1 revelation.
Jay Huff, career 8.4-point scorer and offseason throw-in from the Grizzlies, detonated for 29 points on 13-of-17 shooting, burying a career-best three triples and grabbing nine boards to anchor a 127-119 win over the Pelicans. The performance doubled his previous high of 22, set last March in Memphis, and instantly re-calibrated expectations for Indiana’s bruised front line.
How Huff Hijacked the Game
Indiana trailed 35-33 after one quarter, then ripped off a 14-2 burst early in the second. Huff was the accelerant:
- He popped to the arc, canned a trailer three, then rolled hard for a two-hand slam off a Pascal Siakam dime.
- He pump-faked Zion Williamson into the air and glided in for a finger-roll—yes, the 7-footer showed handles.
- He sealed Derik Queen on a switch and finished a lefty hook, drawing the and-one that pushed the lead to 10.
By halftime the Pacers had dropped 73 points—their highest first-half total of the season—and Huff had 17 on 8-for-10 perfection.
Zion’s Perfect Half Wasn’t Enough
Zion Williamson answered with a stat-line built in a lab: 27 points on 10-of-12 shooting, 7-of-10 from the stripe. He was 8-for-8 in the first half and looked every bit the superstar New Orleans is still building around.
But Indiana’s scrambled match-up zone dared anyone else to beat them. Trey Murphy III (22 pts) and Saddiq Bey (20) kept it close, yet every Pelicans run hit a Huff-shaped wall—either a contest at the rim or a trail triple that broke momentum.
The Hidden Stat That Matters
Huff’s 29 came on just 17 shots. His 76.5 percent true shooting is the most efficient 25-plus-point game by any Pacer this season and the best by an Indiana center since Domantas Sabonis went 12-for-13 in 2021. The Pacers out-scored New Orleans by 18 points in Huff’s 32 minutes; they were out-scored by 10 in the 16 he sat.
What It Means for the Playoff Push
Indiana entered Friday three games out of the final Play-In spot and 8-16 at home. A soft January schedule—Detroit, Charlotte, Washington—suddenly looks like a springboard if Huff can give Rick Carlisle a legitimate stretch-5 next to Siakam’s downhill force. The Pacers now embark on a five-game road trip; steal three and they’re back in the bracket conversation.
Fan Pulse: Is Huff the Real Deal?
Social feeds exploded with #HuffHouse memes and calls to start him over Jalen Smith once Turner returns. The numbers back the hype: in 14 January minutes before Friday, Huff had already blocked nine shots and hit 6-of-10 threes. His 7.9 net rating is tops among Pacers regulars. The question isn’t whether he can replicate 29—it’s whether opponents can afford to ignore him anymore.
Next Up
- Pelicans: bus to Houston for a Sunday date with the streaking Rockets, still searching for any road rhythm (3-16 away).
- Pacers: tip a five-game trip Saturday in Detroit, where Huff’s college teammate Isaiah Livers now plays. Expect a heavy dose of pick-and-pop action and another chance for Indiana’s unlikely star to prove Friday wasn’t lightning—it was the spark of a new era.
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