Game Rewind: Pacers 109, Hornets 127

Defense had been the Pacers' calling card during their recent sweep of a three-game homestand, as Indiana held each of its last three opponents under 100 points.

It was much different story on Wednesday night in Charlotte, where the Hornets (9-8) had 105 points in just three quarters on their way to a 127-109 win over Indiana (11-7).

The Pacers' focus entering Wednesday was on Hornets All-Star guard Kemba Walker, who had amassed 60 and 43 points in his past two contests to move into the NBA scoring lead.

But Walker was more than content to take the extra defensive attention away from his teammates on Wednesday. He scored 16 points but also dished out 11 assists in just 27 minutes, setting up a good chunk of his team's 18 3-pointers.

"He's the type of guy that he's a great player," Pacers guard Cory Joseph said. "He takes what the defense gives him and tonight his guys were rolling."

The Hornets scorched the Nets to start Wednesday's contest. Charlotte raced out to a 26-17 lead by knocking down six of its first seven attempts from 3-point range.

The Pacers, however, kept it close thanks to their own efficient shooting inside the arc. Indiana went 13-for-17 from the field in the opening frame (76.5 percent) and trailed 35-30 at the end of the first-quarter shootout.

Pacers center Domantas Sabonis was as efficient as anyone in the first half, going a perfect 7-for-7 from the field. He scored 11 points in the first six minutes of the second quarter alone to give Indiana a 52-51 lead.

But shortly therafter, Sabonis rolled his right ankle and headed to the locker room. He later returned to the bench, but his presence was sorely missed on the court, where the Hornets strung together 10 unanswered points to retake control of the game.

Charlotte led by as many as 11 points before Bojan Bogdanovic's 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the second quarter — his fourth of the half — made it 68-60 heading into the break.

Walker wreaked havoc on Indiana's defense in the third quarter. He either scored or assisted on six straight Charlotte baskets at one point in the frame, his last two dishes going to Jeremy Lamb for back-to-back 3-pointers that gave the hosts a 16-point lead.

Charlotte extended the margin from there, with Dwayne Bacon's layup at the buzzer giving the Hornets a 105-84 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

The Pacers never seriously threatened the rest of the way, as Charlotte cruised to a comfortable victory.

"Some of the shots were easy warm-up shots and some of them were contested looks, but they did a really good job of just running their stuff and hitting the open man and just making shots," Pacers forward Thaddeus Young said. "They made contested shot after contested shot and sometimes you’ve just got to tip your hats off to guys when they’re making shots like that."

Bogdanovic led the Pacers with 20 points, going 4-for-6 from 3-point range, and dished out four assists. Young added 16 points on 8-of-14 shooting.

Sabonis finished with 15 points but did not score after halftime and fouled out in just 18 total minutes of action.

Lamb led all scorers with 21 points and went 5-for-7 from beyond the arc while also collecting seven rebounds and four assists. Bacon added 18 points off the bench on 8-of-13 shooting for Charlotte.

Pacers All-Star guard Victor Oladipo was inactive for the second straight game on Wednesday with a sore right knee. He is considered day-to-day and it remains to be seen if he will be back in action when the Pacers return to action on Friday night when they host the San Antonio Spurs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Friday's contest will be the first of five straight for the Blue & Gold against Western Conference opponents, as they will embark on a four-game road trip this weekend.

Photo Credit: NBAE/Getty Images

The Hornets went 45-for-80 (56.2 percent) from the field on Wednesday, making them the first team this season to shoot better than 50 percent against Indiana's defense.

Pacers forward Doug McDermott had a season-high 15 points off the bench, although nine of those points came in the fourth quarter with the outcome already decided. Nonetheless, McDermott has scored in double figures in two straight games after failing to do so in any of his previous 11 contests.

Rookie guard Aaron Holiday amassed 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists in his third game in the rotation, but struggled with his shot, going just 1-for-7 from 3-point range.

Indiana had a 60-46 edge over the Hornets in points in the paint.

Lamb hit five 3-pointers on Wednesday for the first time in his seven-year career.

"Sometimes you’ve got to give the other team credit. They did a good job of executing. Walker did a good job of scoring when he had opportunities but setting his teammates up and they were knocking down shots. Just couldn’t get stops tonight. Sometimes that happens." -Pacers head coach Nate McMillan

"Kemba knows how to play. He’s a really, really good player, a very, very smart player. He’s been in this league for quite some time now and he’s done numbers after numbers and he’s made pass after pass. He’s seen every single different defense that’s tried to guard him and he knows how to break down a defense." -Young

"Its starts with him. He generates so much offense for us. I think this is where we’ve got to grow as a team. Right now, the more teams that want to put pressure on him, put two guys on the ball, I think you saw what we could accomplish without Kemba having to go for big numbers." -Hornets head coach James Borrego

"I just took what the defense gave me. I had a lot of open threes. Kemba was penetrating and Cody (Zeller) hit me a couple of times, Frank (Kaminsky) hit me a couple times, so I was able to get some open ones and thankfully I was able to knock them down." -Lamb

Entering this season, the Pacers franchise record for most 3-pointers allowed was 18. That total has now been matched or surpassed three times in the last three weeks.

Boston set a new record with 19 treys at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Nov. 3. The Rockets then broke that record by knocking down 20 triples in Houston on Nov. 11. Ten days later, the Hornets went 18-for-29 (62.1 percent) from beyond the arc against Indiana.

Following their matchup with the Hornets, the Pacers return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday, Nov. 23 to host LaMarcus Aldridge and the San Antonio Spurs at 8:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »