Watch: Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton caps high-scoring first quarter with flashy assist to Obi Toppin

Following a Pacers block, guard Ben Sheppard found All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton on a breakaway. He had an opportunity to cap the play with an uncontested layup, but he opted for a flashier play instead.

Haliburton lobbed the ball off the backboard for forward Obi Toppin, who completed the play with a slam dunk. 

Indiana (33-26, eighth in Eastern Conference) scored 40 points in the opening frame, shooting 16-of-25 (64%) from the field. The Pacers took advantage of a Pelicans team coming off a whirlwind 24 hours that began with a 115-92 win over the Knicks on Tuesday night.

Reporter Jen Hale noted earlier Wednesday that the Pels didn't land in Indianapolis until 5 a.m. after an issue with the team's original plane.

Head coach Willie Green didn't use that as an excuse when asked about his team's slow start, instead taking issue with the team's poor showing on the offensive end. 

"Our offense is hurting our defense," said Green during the ESPN broadcast. New Orleans (35-24, fifth in Western Conference) shot less than 40% from the floor in the first quarter.

As Haliburton's crowd-pleasing assist reminded, the Pacers, No. 1 in the league in scoring, are talented enough to hurt the Pels defense on their own.