Game Rewind: Pacers 101, Hornets 108

The Indiana Pacers have faced the Charlotte Hornets three times this season and all three have resulted in a loss after Indiana fell, 108-101, tonight in Charlotte.

It was a highly-entertaining first quarter as both offenses were in a groove from the start. Charlotte shot 57.1% from the floor, including 5-of-9 from the 3-point line, but Indiana essentially matched the Hornets blow for blow. When the first period ended, Charlotte led 31-30.

In the second quarter, the close battle continued. Midway through the period, the teams were deadlocked at 38. Charlotte took a 47-42 lead with 2:19 left, thanks to a 9-4 run.

A Paul George triple cut the Hornets' advantage to two with just 24 seconds remaining, but Kemba Walker answered with a 3-pointer of his own to push Charlotte's lead back to five.

In the third quarter, the teams traded buckets for the first half of the quarter. But after the midway point of the period, Indiana retook the lead. Using a 12-2 run, featuring eight points from George, Indiana held a 74-71 advantage with 3:17 remaining. The Pacers weren't able to pull away, however, as at the end of the third they led by just two, 82-80.

The lead wouldn't last long. In the opening minutes of the fourth, Charlotte's Al Jefferson scored six, Jeremy Lin added a jump shot, and Frank Vogel was forced to take a timeout with 9:52 remaining, trailing 88-84.

The Pacers cut the advantage to three thanks to a Monta Ellis triple, but Charlotte answered with an 8-0 run. With 4:39 left in the game, the Hornets led 101-90.

Indiana got the lead down to six on multiple occasions, but couldn't close the gap any further over the final four minutes.

George had a big night for the Pacers, finishing with 35 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Ellis scored 15, and George Hill added 12 points and seven rebounds.

Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum led the way for the home team. Walker scored 33 and dished out 10 assists, and Batum added 31 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Indiana couldn't stop the Charlotte duo of Kemba Walker and Nic Batum. The pair combined for 64 points, nine rebounds and 14 assists.

"We failed to get stops and failed to score. We couldn't control Al Jefferson. They are bringing basically an All-Star center off the bench. We failed to control him." -- Frank Vogel

"Nic [Batum], right from the beginning was really aggressive. He went right to the hole, which is really hard to do against them. The whole game he was in the paint and he had great defense too. Kemba is just on a roll. His confidence level is high and literally when he misses, he's surprised. They were both terrific. -- Hornets coach Steve Clifford

"It's tough man they just had our number offensively and I guess defensively and we didn't make adjustments at times. It was a tough one for us." -- Myles Turner

"Any time you play the Pacers it's going to be a playoff type game. They've been there [in the playoffs] for the last five or six years. Any time you go against them, no matter if it's preseason, it will be a playoff type environment." -- Charlotte's Al Jefferson

The Pacers' road trip continues tomorrow night, as the Blue & Gold head to the nation's capital to take on John Wall and the Washington Wizards. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM ET.

TV: FOX Sports Indiana - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5 FM/AM 1070 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Pat Boylan (studio host)

David West returns to Bankers Life Fieldhouse for the first time as a member of the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, March 7. Reserve your Pacers-Spurs seats today »