Game Rewind: Pacers 110, Hornets 94

Looking to break above .500 for the first time since they were 1-0, the Indiana Pacers (13-12) used a gritty final five minutes of play to close out the Charlotte Hornets (14-11), 110-94, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Monday night.

"We knew this team has kicked us in the past, four or five times," said Myles Turner after the game. "So we wanted to come out here and send a message. We were so connected in the first quarter on defense and it just carried over to the rest of the game."

With 4:30 remaining in the game, Glenn Robinson III — who started in place of Monta Ellis (sore groin) — fouled Marco Belinelli on a 3-point shot, bringing the Hornets within six of the lead. But just like he was on Saturday night when he scored 37 points, Paul George was in the mood to close down the game.

On consecutive possessions, George hit jumpers that floated through the hoop without grazing the rim, putting Indiana up 97-90.

After a loose ball was picked up in transition by Thaddeus Young, the mobile forward dribbled it the length of the court and laid it in to extend the Pacers' lead to nine with 3:08 remaining.

As things starting to get chippy between Hornets forward Nicolas Batum and George, PG stayed in closing mode, drilling another jumper from the elbow to put the Pacers up 101-92.

With Charlotte still threatening, Myles Turner iced the game in tremendous fashion — with a step-back 3-pointer to put the Pacers up 12 in the final minute. Turner, who barely attempted 3-pointers last season, hit 4-of-7 from behind the arc, opening up the Hornets' defense by creating space in the paint.

"That's what this league has turned into and Myles is perfect for that," said Al Jefferson. "He can spread the floor and he can hit those shots. It's good to see him doing it on both ends. He's defending that rim, he's doing a good job."

Indiana started the game hot, with Paul George — who finished the night tied with Turner with a game-high 22 — scoring the team's first five points as Indiana used a 10-0 run to establish an early lead.

But Charlotte's bench, which features former Pacers center Roy Hibbert, proved problematic early, reeling off a 9-0 run of its own in the first quarter to draw the Hornets within one. A 5-0 Pacers burst to close the opening quarter put Indiana up 25-20, a lead which it extended to 28-20 at the start of the second quarter.

In the second period, the Hornets got the better the Pacers lineup, outscoring them 23-20 to pull the score to 45-43 at halftime. Indiana had a number of players in double figures, with Paul George, Myles Turner, and Rodney Stuckey all pitching in 10 points in the first half.

But rebounding was an issue in the first half, with the Hornets outdoing Indiana 30-21, which included a 6-1 advantage on the offensive glass.

In the third quarter, the Pacers closed the quarter with a mixture of luck and skill. An errant shot from Stuckey was ricocheted out of the paint and landed right into the hands of a waiting C.J. Miles who drilled a 3-pointer to lift the crowd at The Fieldhouse to a fever pitch as the third quarter drew to a close. The bucket gave the Pacers a 76-73 edge entering the final frame.

That electrifying close to the quarter ended up spring-boarding the Pacers into the fourth, where they turned the 3-pointer from Miles to the beginning of a 9-0 run, opening up an 82-73 lead with 10:00 remaining in the game.

The run was defined by the play of Al Jefferson, who after a difficult first half in which he went 0-of-4 from the field, scored on Hibbert on two consecutive possessions. After Stuckey blew past the defense in transition for an easy layup, Hornets head coach Steve Clifford called timeout with the home crowd on its feet.

From there, the Hornets settled down and began to chip into the lead, using a Frank Kaminsky 3-pointer followed by a transition layup to cut their deficit down to 87-82. On that play, Rodney Stuckey went down with a knee contusion and did not return, which brought PG back in the game for the final 7:00, where George and company closed the door on Charlotte's comeback bid.

The Pacers were outshot at the free-throw line 32-10, but overcame the deficit in attempts by holding Charlotte to 33.3 percent shooting.

The Hornets' starting guard tandem of Nicolas Batum and Kemba Walker went a combined 8-of-29.

Paul George and Myles Turner each notched 22 points while hitting nine field goals.

Starting in place of Monta Ellis, Glenn Robinson scored three points while pulling down six rebounds and blocking three shots

"We were running the floor, my teammates were getting open, we did a good job of moving the ball and guys were making shots. It's good to get some wins against some good teams. I think we're headed in the right direction. Guys are playing with one another and playing together on the defensive end and it's carrying over into the offense. We're moving the ball, guys are getting open, easy shots. We've got to continue making them and continue to keep guarding. We're starting to believe in one another and trust one another on the floor." -Jeff Teague

"Our coverage on Paul George was not bad, I mean he's a terrific player, he's got size and he rolls up and makes the shots. He's a tough cover." -Hornets head coach Steve Clifford

"I thought the ball movement was really good in the first quarter. We missed a lot of shots we normally hit. I thought we were really connected on the defensive end. We had good execution on both sides of the ball for 48 minutes." -Pacers head coach Nate McMillan

Over his last four games, Myles Turner has connected on eight 3-pointers. In his first 80 regular season games in the NBA, he made a total of nine.

The Pacers embark on another road trip, this time a three-game swing, starting in Miami on Wednesday night at 7 PM ET. After games against New Orleans and Detroit, Indiana returns home to face the Washington Wizards on Monday, December 19th. Find Tickets »

Select Hat - $12. Game Night Specials can be purchased in the Home Court Gift Shop or any of our souvenir stands located on all levels of Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The special is also available online at PacersGear.com until midnight.