Charlotte Hornets Sting Indiana Pacers With 111-102 Win
Source: David Jensen / Getty
1. First Quarter
After going a perfect 9/9 in Saturday’s game against the New York Knicks, Myles Turner started the game off with four straight field goals for the Pacers. Pascal Siakam was the first player besides Turner to score for the Pacers. Siakam’s hook shot with 6:43 remaining in the first quarter to make it 13-12 Indiana. They went from trailing 10-5 to leading 17-12 with 5:49 to go after Turner free throws. Indiana would push its lead to a game high seven when T.J. McConnell knocked down a deuce to make it 21-14. Charlotte outscored Indiana after that jumper 11-3 the final 4:05 to lead 25-24 after the first quarter. Turner led all scorers with 13 points followed by five points from Miles Bridges and Cody Martin for Charlotte. Indiana struggled to take care of the basketball. The Pacers turned the ball over five times.
2. Second Quarter
The Hornets opened the quarter with a handful of field goals to go ahead by five points on three different occasions. Indiana was down 36-31 with 7:12 left in the half before tying the game at 36 with 5:36 left after a Tyrese Haliburton triple. Siakam converted a midrange fadeaway to give Indiana the lead. From that point on in the second, it was pretty much a back-and-forth affair. In the final seconds of the half, Andrew Nembhard was able to sneak inside to convert a layup with 1.1 seconds left, making it a 49-48 Indiana advantage at intermission. Grant Williams scored eight of the 23 points for Charlotte off the bench. Aaron Nesmith led Indiana with seven points in the quarter. Turner led all scorers with 15 points followed by 11 points from Williams. Indiana turned the ball over six more times in the second.
3. Third Quarter
Indiana’s offense woke up in the third quarter, but their defensive focus did not continue at the rate it was in the first half. Indiana was able to put up 31 points in the third quarter, but their defense allowed Charlotte to outscore them by a field goal. The quarter started with the Hornets retaking the lead after a Nate Richards putback. Bradon Miller scored a fadeaway jump shot on their next possession to go up three. The two teams then exchanged blow for blow, not allowing either to pull away. There was a moment where Indiana was in control following an Obi Topping three to go ahead 74-69 with 4:17 remaining in the third. However, Charlotte came right back to take an 81-80 lead because of a Seth Curry layup. He led all scorers with 10 points in the third. Turner still led everyone in scoring with 18 points followed by 14 from Curry, Nesmith, and Siakam.
4. Fourth Quarter
After Isaiah Jackson tied the game up at 84 with a dunk, things went downhill for the Pacers. Two possessions later they were down 88-84 following a Tre Mann two-pointer. Indiana countered with four points of their own to tie it again at 88. The Hornets countered with a 8-3 surge to go ahead 98-91 after a Bridges layup. Nesmith was able to get a breakaway dunk to make it a three-point game with 4:24 left, but that’s as close as the Pacers would get the rest of the way. Indiana simply couldn’t string together stops while scoring the ball. With 42.8 to go, Charlotte went up a game high nine points to effectively put the game away. Williams scored the final four points for the Hornets from the line to win 111-102. Bridges and Nesmith tied for the most points in the quarter with seven points.
5. Top Performers
Grant Williams (21p, 4r, 3a), Miles Bridges (20p, 10r, 7a), 3s), and Seth Curry (18p). For Indiana, Myles Turner (22p, 5r, 2b), Aaron Nesmith (21p), Pascal Siakam (18p, 5r, 4a), and Tyrese Haliburton (13p, 12a, 6r). For tonight’s full box score, click here.
6. Notes
Myles Turner made his first four shots, making Pacers franchise history by making 13 consecutive shots without missing. Indiana is now 0-14 when scoring 110 points or less. The 102 points mark the second lowest output of the season (101 vs Boston on 1/6/24). Indiana’s two offensive rebounds are a season low. Pacers are 4-10 when making 10 or less threes. This is only the second time Charlotte has won back-to-back games this season. Miles Bridges recorded his 10th double-double and 27th game with 20+ points. Grant Williams registered his 3rd game with 20+ points, Myles Turner notched his 20th game with 20+ points, and Aaron Nesmith recorded his 15th game with 20+ points. Tyrese Haliburton now has 32 games with 10+ assists and 30 games with a double-double.
7. Next Up
The final game of the three-game road trip and before the All-Star break is on Wednesday night in Canada. It’ll be the return for Pascal Siakam since being traded. Tip-off between the Toronto Raptors and Indiana Pacers is set for 7:30pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan with the Kroger Pregame Show starting at 7pm with Pat Boylan.
Charlotte Hornets Sting Indiana Pacers With 111-102 Win was originally published on 1075thefan.com
