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 Charlotte moved one game over .500 Wednesday night with its eighth
victory in 11 starts, crushing the sluggish Indiana Pacers 117-95.
The Hornets (27-26) had lost 12 consecutive times in Bankers Life
Fieldhouse dating to Nov. 28, 2008.
Guard Kemba Walker scored 25 points to lead Charlotte's balanced
attack. The Hornets came into the game ranked 29th in the NBA in
field-goal percentage at 42.8 percent but shot a season-high 51.7
percent (45-for-87), including 12-for-28 from 3-point range.
"This was an important game," Walker said. "We have a long break
ahead of us, and we didn't want to go into the break with a loss. We
came out with a lot of life.
"From the beginning, we gave great effort. Our bench really
executed, made plays and pushed the pace. We stayed tough and kept
executing."
Indiana (28-25) fell to 1-12 when the opponent shoots 50 percent or
better and 0-11 when allowing 110 points or more.
Guard Jeremy Lamb added 16 points for the Hornets, guard Jeremy Lin
scored 14, center Cody Zeller and guard Nicolas Batum had 11 each,
and center Frank Kaminsky contributed 10.
The Hornets got 54 points from their non-starters, which was 21 more
than the Indiana bench scored. Charlotte reserves were a collective
21-for-37 from the field.
"You have to give a lot of credit to our second group," said Zeller,
who had 11 of the Hornets' 45 rebounds. "Our second group played
well and broke it open."
Forward Paul George led Indiana with 22 points, and guard George
Hill scored 12.
"I thought Jeremy Lin really stuck it to them with his defense and
his penetration going to the basket," Charlotte coach Steve Clifford
said, "We made some shots, but it was our defense that really got
our offense going. Lately, we have played better on the road."
The Pacers shot only 43.5 percent from the field in their most
lopsided home loss this season.
"We got beat by a red-hot team that played with great energy and is
not a good matchup for us right now as we evolve," Indiana coach
Frank Vogel said.
The Hornets got two dunks from Zeller and a 3-pointer from Lin to
increase their lead to 69-49 with 7:53 left in the third quarter.
Batum dunked for a 77-64 advantage with 3:16 left in the quarter.
Walker sank two free throws with 0.1 of a second left in the third
quarter to give Charlotte an 89-70 advantage heading into the final
12 minutes.
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"We struggle with teams that spread the floor and shoot threes,"
George said. "We also are struggling to find that consistency right
now. I don't think this was a case of any of our guys starting
(All-Star week) vacation early. We were trying to find anything that
worked tonight."
Forward Lavoy Allen scored the first five points of the fourth
quarter, pulling the Pacers within 89-75 with 10:24 remaining and
prompting a Hornets timeout.
After Indiana briefly cut into the Charlotte lead, Lamb scored six
quick points, and the Hornets built a 97-79 advantage with 8:01 to
play.
A Walker layup gave the Hornets a 102-83 lead with 4:27 remaining,
and Charlotte continued to extend the advantage all the way to the
final buzzer.
"They took the fight to us, and their shooters got hot," said
Indiana center Ian Mahinmi, who had eight points and eight
rebounds."
Charlotte dominated the second quarter, outscoring Indiana 35-18 to
take a 60-43 lead through 24 minutes, making 13 of 22 from the floor
in the quarter.
NOTES: Charlotte played without F Al Jefferson (right knee surgery).
Indiana was without G Rodney Stuckey (right foot sprain, bone
bruise). ... The Pacers started their big lineup with C Ian Mahinmi
and rookie PF Myles Turner in place of C.J. Miles. ... Indiana was
trying to cap a three-game, pre-NBA All-Star Game homestand with a
third consecutive victory. ... The Hornets entered with a two-game
winning streak. ... Indiana had won five of seven before facing
Charlotte. ... Charlotte ranks third in the NBA in turnovers per
game (13.0) and fifth in free-throw percentage (78.9). ... Indiana
ranks fourth in steals per game (9.3) and fourth in opponents'
turnovers per game (16.5). ... The Pacers won three of four meetings
with the Hornets last season. ... Wednesday's game was the first of
three matchups between the teams this season.
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