Game Rewind: Pacers 105, Hornets 108

The Pacers beat the Hornets on Wednesday night in Charlotte, but repeating the feat proved to be more difficult.

Indiana (11-8) mounted a charge in the fourth quarter on Friday night in Charlotte, but ultimately came up just short in a 108-105 loss to the Hornets (8-11). The Pacers have now split each of the three two-game series they have played against the same opponent so far in the regular season.

The Hornets led 92-82 early in the fourth before Domantas Sabonis and the Pacers made their run. The All-Star big man scored six points during a 9-0 Indiana run to make it a one-point game with eight minutes remaining.

Malcolm Brogdon's 3-pointer with 5:27 left tied the game at 94. The two teams then traded buckets twice before Myles Turner's turnaround hook on the right baseline gave the Blue & Gold a 100-98 lead with 3:06 remaining.

Cody Zeller's layup with 2:07 to play knotted the score once again. Brogdon missed a point-blank layup on the other end before another Zeller basket put the hosts up two with 1:46 remaining.

Jeremy Lamb hit a 3-pointer 15 seconds later to put the Pacers back in front, but Terry Rozier answered with a three of his own after an offensive rebound and kick-out from Graham with 1:10 to play. Zeller blocked Lamb on the other end and then Graham drained another triple to make it a five-point game with 52.6 seconds left.

A layup by Brogdon cut the deficit to three with 41.5 seconds remaining. Indiana's defense forced a Gordon Hayward turnover on the other end, giving the Blue & Gold the ball back with 20.4 seconds remaining.

Zeller fouled Justin Holiday on a closeout in the left corner with 8.7 seconds to go, but the Pacers weren't yet in the bonus. Head coach Nate Bjorkgren then called a timeout to try to draw up a look for a game-tying three.

Brogdon inbounded to Sabonis who handed the ball back to him. Brogdon had a clean look, but missed long and the ball went out of bounds off Indiana to seal the victory for Charlotte.

Sabonis led the visitors with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists in the loss. Brogdon added 21 points, four rebounds, and eight assists, while Turner tallied 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting, eight rebounds, and two blocks.

"We didn't get as many stops as we would have liked to all game long," Turner said. "I think we kind of started off in the first half not really establishing our defense. Rebounding hurt us, too. It seemed like every single time we missed a rebound, they hit a three. Those are big plays."

The first quarter on Friday featured two ties and seven lead changes. The Pacers hit four early 3-pointers and led 24-19 before Charlotte closed the opening frame with a 13-4 run to take a 32-28 advantage into the second quarter.

Hot shooting helped the Hornets extend their lead in the ensuing quarter. Charlotte made six threes — two apiece by Rozier and Graham — in the first nine minutes of the frame to open up a 62-48 lead.

The Blue & Gold mounted a charge before halftime, closing the second quarter with a 12-2 run, capped by Edmond Sumner's corner three just before the intermission trimmed the deficit to 64-60.

The Hornets quickly pushed the margin back to double digits, however. PJ Washington made a pair of 3-pointers as Charlotte opened the second half with eight unanswered points.

The Pacers lost sharpshooter Doug McDermott midway through the third quarter after he collided with Zeller on a baseline drive and bruised his lower back. McDermott had previously gone to the locker room in the second quarter with a right thumb contusion but returned to the court to start the second half.

Indiana failed to cut into Charlotte's lead over the course of the third quarter and headed to the final frame trailing, 89-80.

"We've got to finish our positions out a little better," Bjorkgren said. "Guys are fighting, they're flying, they're scrambling around. That was the difference tonight. We needed a couple bounces to go our way there over the final two and a half, three minutes."

Lamb finished with 12 points, five rebounds, two blocks, and two steals for the Pacers. McDermott joined him in double figures despite his early exit, registering 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting and six rebounds in 17 minutes of action.

Rozier and Washington shared high scorer honors for Charlotte with 19 points each. Rozier went 5-for-8 from 3-point range, while Washington went 7-for-8 from the field and pulled down nine rebounds.

LaMelo Ball had 16 points, six rebounds, and seven assists off the bench for the Hornets. Graham added 14 points and 10 assists, while Zeller (12 points and six rebounds) and Hayward (11 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and two blocks) also finished in double figures.

The Pacers return home for their next two games, including a big one on Sunday night against Philadelphia, who currently owns the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Sabonis recorded his 18th double-double in 19 games this season. The only game in which he did not record a double-double was in Monday's win over Toronto, when he exited in the first half with a bruised knee.

Turner has scored 20 or more points in five of his past seven games. He had blocked three or more shots in 10 straight games prior to Friday.

Indiana outscored the Hornets 60-50 in points in the paint.

After matching their season high with 34 assists on Wednesday, the Pacers had 30 more assists on 42 field goals on Friday.

Ball, one of the early frontrunners for Rookie of the Year, went 0-for-6 from 3-point range, but a perfect 7-for-7 inside the arc.

"I thought they hit a few shot-clockers. But it's the ones they're getting on the second chances, the (offensive) boards, those are the open ones...Those are the ones that we need to try to eliminate as much as we can." -Bjorkgren on the Hornets' 3-point shooting

"I was just fine with the scheduling the way it was. Our players are continuing to stay safe and following the NBA protocols and the rules. They're very determined. They don't make any excuses about anything." -Bjorkgren spending three days in Charlotte and playing the Hornets twice

"I feel like we played good in spurts with a lot of energy. We just weren't consistent throughout the game...We didn't get stops or make shots in the final minute." -Sabonis

"It's always fun when you get to play Philly because they're a very challenging team. They can hurt you in multiple ways, but we're all up for the challenge...I'm looking forward to the matchup with Embiid as well, personally. He's one of the better centers in the league, I step up to the challenge." -Turner on facing the 76ers on Sunday

The Hornets went 16-for-37 from 3-point range on Friday (43.2 percent). It was the seventh time this season and the fourth time in the last seven games that a Pacers opponent has made 15 or more 3-pointers. Rozier was 5-for-8, Graham was 4-for-9, and Washington was 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.

The Pacers return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse to host Joel Embiid and the East-leading 76ers on Sunday, Jan. 31 at 7:00 PM ET.

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