Hornets Stun Pacers, Limit NBA's Highest Scoring Offense

Hornets beat the Pacers at home 111-102 for second straight win with the new additions.

The "new look" Hornets won their second straight game post-trade deadline, playing host to the Pacers for the second time this month. The Hornets did a great job competing with the Pacers in the first half, as there seems to be a drastically improved energy in this team with the five new additions. It was a team effort as the Hornets shared the ball and played team defense to contain the Pacers, and only trailing by one at the half.  

The Hornets were able to hang around the entire game with the Pacers in large part to a spark of offense from the bench by way of Seth Curry with 18 points, and Grant Williams with 21. Their veteran presence had a significant impact on allowing the Hornets to combat any run by the Pacers. 

It was the 4th quarter when the Hornets were able to pull away thanks to clutch baskets by Brandon Miller who finished with 12 points, and Miles Bridges who had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds helping the Hornets win 111-102. 

This is only the second time all year the Hornets have won two in a row, and it comes against a very talented Pacers team that leads the NBA in points per game with 124, and the Hornets were able to hold them 102 tonight.

Best of the Night - Veterans Off The Bench

Having veterans like Seth Curry and Grant Williams come off the bench and play key minutes has proven to be a huge improvement already. Their experience and shot-making ability allowed the Hornets to stick with this talented Pacers team all night. It is a much-needed addition to have experienced players come in off the bench and be able to generate offense and ultimately was the difference-making factor in pulling off the win tonight. Curry finished with 18 points shooting 7-11 from the field with a team-high +/- of +15, Williams led the team with 21 points, adding 4 rebounds and a +/- of +14. 

Worst of the Night - Fouls and Turnovers

The Hornets led in two team stats categories that usually don't correlate with winning, fouls, and turnovers. The Hornets had 19 turnovers compared to the Pacers 11 and had 17 fouls compared to the Pacers' 11. Despite the turnovers and fouls, the Hornets never let the Pacers pull away and overcame those categories to still get the win. 

Stat of the Night - All-Starters In Double Digits & Rebounds

I mentioned this was a team win, and that is reflected in the box score where every starter finished in double digits. Cody Martin with 11, Tre Mann with 11, Brandon Miller with 12, Nick Richards with 13, and Miles Bridges with 20. They played unselfishly sharing the ball, finishing with 27 team assists - Mann and Bridges led the team in assists each with 7. Another huge factor for the Hornets pulling off this win was their ability to win the rebounding battle with 46 compared to the Pacers 32. 

Highlight Of The Night - Mann to Richards Alley-Oop

2️⃣3️⃣ x 4️⃣ @tre2mann3 x @iamnickrichards | @drpepper pic.twitter.com/iCXYxwuV3F

— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) February 13, 2024

Up Next: The Hornets welcome the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday (Feb. 14) at 7 PM EST.

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