Ball, Hornets Hold off Pacers

The Charlotte Hornets escaped with a close win over the Indiana Pacers, 121-118, Friday night. LaMelo Ball had a great overall game with a season-high 32 points. He also had 11 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Hornets to their fifth straight win.

The game started off slow and had its fair share of turnovers.

Unlike Wednesday night’s game against the Washington Wizards, the Hornets got to the free throw line early and often. The Hornets went 8-of-12 from the line in the first quarter, including seven makes in the final three minutes.

At the other end of the floor, the Pacers fell in love with the 3-point shot, but their shots were not falling. They only connected on 1-of-10 from 3-point range.

Charlotte played a zone defense, which made it difficult for the Pacers to get the ball inside. Center Mason Plumlee neutralized Myles Turner, holding him to just two points. The Hornets led 27-22 heading into the second quarter.

The Hornets built a nine point lead early in the second quarter, but a quick Pacer run tied the game and that forced Hornets head coach James Borrego to call a time out. The timeout clearly worked. The Hornets won the rest of the frame 26-11, with Ball scoring or assisting on 21 of those 26 points. The dynamic duo of Ball and Gordon Hayward led the run. Ball concluded the half with 21 points and four assists, while Hayward added another 14 points. At the half, the Hornets led 63-48.

Charlotte stretched out their lead even more with a 13-5 run to start the third quarter. The Hornets had a short lapse after Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle called a timeout to put five substitutes on the floor, but Gordon Hayward answered with a shot from downtown to stem the tide. The Hornets broadened their lead to 25.

The Pacers made a comeback with former Hornets Jeremy Lamb and Brad Wanamaker doing a lot of damage. They pulled the Pacers to within 13 points heading into the fourth quarter. The Hornets led 98-85.

Charlotte started the fourth quarter cold from the field. They turned the ball over and missed a couple of wide open threes. The Pacers pulled to within seven points, but Miles Bridges scored five consecutive points to restore some order for the Hornets. Charlotte was able to get in transition for some easy layups and they went up by 17, with five minutes to go in the game.

Lamb hit a deep three and the Pacers stole the inbound pass for another layup to pull within five. The Hornets turned the ball over twice, while trying to ice the game and Lamb hit another three. The Hornets played great defense on the last possession of the game, preventing the Pacers from getting a good look from beyond the arc. The Hornets got the win 121-118.

Gordon Hayward finished the game with 25 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 16. Bridges contributed 14 points and 6 rebounds for the Hornets.

Jeremy Lamb scored 23 points off the bench for the Pacers. Malcolm Brogdon had 16 points. Torrey Craig had 14 points and 7 rebounds off the bench as well.

The Pacers host the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night. The Hornets go to Atlanta to play the Hawks on Saturday.