The Hornets, with the help of the dynamic duo, Miller and Ball, came out on top 103-83, beating the Pacers on Friday night.
The Charlotte Hornets chances looked null and void early on in the second half after trailing by 13 points, 64-51, to the Indiana Pacers, but then it was ‘Miller Time’. Brandon Miller got hot and knocked down five threes and 17 points in all during the quarter to catapult the Hornets to a 74-66 lead at the end of the third, which punctuated a 23-2 surge.
Things picked up right where they left off, and the Hornets never looked back as they outscored the visitors from Indiana, 29-17 in the fourth quarter, putting together an exciting second half from start to finish as Charlotte locked in on the defensive end and began to bury their shots.
LaMelo Ball was unconscious in the fourth quarter as he poured in 17 points. Ball had struggled mightily throughout the game with his shot, but when it was time, he came alive, finding a way to hit big time triples when it mattered most. That is what the greats do. Both Miller and Ball had 17 points in different quarters, which just shows the promising future the Hornets have to look forward to with these players and building blocks.
Embed from Getty ImagesCody Martin also delivered and played a crucial role in this victory with 15 points and three shots from downtown in 27 minutes of playing time. To add on to such a solid performance, he also had a +39 plus/minus, proving his on-court value to the team.
Before his explosion took place, Miller had a good game brewing for him in the first half with nine points, but once the second half got underway, he began to take his defenders to school. Miller was hotter than fish grease, with 17 points in the third quarter and ended up finishing with 29 points for the game. Those 29 points were a season-high and his seven three-pointers tied his previous career-high. Miller’s five threes in the third quarter were also the most by a Hornet in a quarter since the 1996-1997 season by Glen Rice.
Tyrese Haliburton’s early season struggles continued as he had an off night in Charlotte. He scored just six points and needed to step up a lot more, but guided Indiana’s offense to just 83 points. This dismal outcome puts in to focus not only Haliburton’s night, but also his season.
In a game with a ton of ridiculous statistics, Moussa Diabate set possibly one of the craziest stat lines of the season. Diabate has been relatively consistent for most of the season, but never had a performance as important as Friday night. Diabate finished the game with zero points, zero assists, 15 rebounds, and three blocks. Not only that, but Diabate also finished the game with a +34 plus/minus in the game. The Hornets desperately needed a performance like this with Nick Richards and Mark Williams out for an extended period of time.
The Hornets next game will be on Sunday against Paul George and the Philadelphia 76ers at 7:00 p.m. ET as the Hornets will travel to the ‘City of Brotherly Love’ looking to stack wins and extending their streak to three consecutive games.
The Pacers host Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks on Sunday.
