Hornets blow out playoff-bound Pacers

[April 11, 2018]  Forward Frank Kaminsky led a balanced Charlotte attack with a season-high-tying 24 points in the Hornets' 119-93 rout of the Indiana Pacers in the regular-season finale for both teams Tuesday night in Indianapolis.

Already locked into fifth place in the Eastern Conference, the Pacers (48-34) rested starters Victor Oladipo, Thaddeus Young and Bojan Bogdanovic. Oladipo was listed as having a sore right foot. The Pacers will play either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

Malik Monk scored 17 points off the bench for the Hornets. Kemba Walker and Marvin Williams each scored 15 for Charlotte. Williams made 5 of 9 3-point attempts. Dwight Howard contributed 14 points and a game-high 17 rebounds for the Hornets, who finished with a 36-46 record.

Glenn Robinson III, T.J. Leaf and Darren Collison each had 13 points for the Pacers, who shot 40.4 percent from the floor. Robinson hit 3 of 4 3-point attempts and grabbed eight rebounds.

Al Jefferson added 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting for the Pacers. In a rare start, Lance Stephenson had nine points and a team-high 13 rebounds for Indiana.

For the game, Charlotte shot 46.5 percent from the field and 18 of 42 (42.9 percent) from 3-point range.

Pacers center Myles Turner continued his recent scoring struggles with just two points on 1-of-8 shooting in 21 minutes. It was the sixth consecutive game Turner failed to score in double figures. He had just four points in the final three regular-season games.

Hornets center Dwight Howard (12) goes up for a shot against Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) during the first quarter at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The Hornets used a 24-16 edge in the third quarter to push their lead to 87-71.

Indiana and Charlotte each sank 23 of 49 shots (46.9 percent) in the first half. However, the Hornets hit 11 of 23 3-pointers to take a 63-55 halftime lead. The Pacers were 4 of 15 from 3-point range before the break, 8 of 31 (25.8 percent) overall.

Kaminsky hit a 3-point shot from 44 feet at the first quarter buzzer to give the Hornets a 37-25 lead. Charlotte made 13 of 24 shots in the opening quarter.

The Hornets led by as many as 14 points in the first half (31-17) while the Pacers' largest lead was six (6-0). Charlotte took the lead for good at 15-13.

--Field Level Media

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