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Game Rewind: Pacers 88, Hornets 79 (Preseason)

Game Recap

Thursday's preseason finale wasn't exactly a dress rehearsal for the Pacers. But it did give Indiana (3-4 in the preseason) some positive momentum heading into the regular season courtesy of an 88-79 win over the Charlotte Hornets (3-4).

Injuries sidelined several key players on Thursday night. The Pacers sat regular starters David West (sprained ankle), Rodney Stuckey (sprained foot) and George Hill (bruised knee), as well as backup point guard C.J. Watson (sore foot). The Hornets sat out Lance Stephenson, Gerald Henderson, Kemba Walker, and Noah Vonleh.

But the Pacers who were on the floor played very well on Thursday.

Luis Scola, starting in place of West at power forward, had 13 points and six rebounds in the first quarter. As a team, Indiana shot 60 percent from the field in the opening frame while only committing one turnover.

The Blue-and-Gold opened the second quarter with a 13-1 run to push their lead to 22 points and maintained a significant advantage into the second half, leading by as many as 16 points in the fourth quarter before Charlotte mounted a rally.

Indiana led 75-61 after Donald Sloan's layup with 9:13 remaining, but the Hornets went on a 12-0 run over the next 3:40, cutting the deficit to just two points on P.J. Hairston's 3-pointer with 5:33 to play.

The Pacers buckled down defensively from that point, limiting Charlotte to just three points over the next 5+ minutes until Brian Roberts' 3-pointer with 9.7 seconds left. On the other end, the Blue-and-Gold got some timely baskets from Solomon Hill and C.J. Miles down the stretch to preserve the victory.

Miles led all scorers with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting (3-of-4 from 3-point range). Scola added 15 points and 12 rebounds for Indiana. Sloan chipped in 11 points, six rebounds, and eight assists.

Roberts led Charlotte with 19 points. Al Jefferson added 15 points, seven rebounds, and six blocks, while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 13 points and seven boards.

Inside the Numbers

The Pacers shot 45 percent for the game while holding Charlotte to a 37-percent clip. They outrebounded the Hornets, 46-34, but lost the turnover battle, 18-12.

Miles' strong performance came on the heels of two lackluster shooting nights. The Pacers' veteran wing had just nine points in 46 minutes over his past two games, shooting a combined 3-for-17 from the field and 0-for-7 from 3-point range over that stretch.

Scola had his highest totals of the preseason in both points and rebounds. The Argentinian was an extremely efficient 7-for-11 from the field.

Sloan, starting for the first time, capped a very strong preseason. He scored in double figures for the fifth straight game and finished the exhibition schedule with averages of 13.3 points and 3.8 assists per contest.

Chris Copeland added 11 points off the bench for the Blue-and-Gold. Roy Hibbert had 10 points and nine rebounds, while Solomon Hill chipped in eight points.

Up Next

The Pacers now have a little under a week to prepare for their regular season opener. They host the Philadelphia 76ers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 7:00 p.m. ET on Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Find Tickets »