Indiana Pacers vs Charlotte Hornets Game Preview

Will the Hornets keep it rolling tonight against a young Pacers squad?

Game 16: Indiana Pacers (6-6) vs Charlotte Hornets (4-11)

The Hornets ended their three-game Florida road trip with a solid revenge victory over the Orlando Magic. The first time Charlotte squared off against the Magic, Orlando's size and length really bothered the Hornets. The Magic were able to create havoc on defense with deflections and blocked shots. In the second meeting on Monday night, the Hornets flipped the script and showed they were able to adjust and punch back.

The Hornets won this game by crushing the turnover battle as they forced 10 more Magic turnovers than they had themselves. For a team that struggled with Orlando's length just a few weeks ago, this was a great sign for the team. Charlotte shot almost 50% from the floor in this one, but just 20% from three as a team. They had seven different players reach double figures in scoring, including all 5 starters. It was a great team effort to stop the bleeding and end their long losing streak.

Charlotte will have their work cut out for them tonight against the Pacers. Indiana's trio of guards, Tyrese Haliburtion, Buddy Hield, and Bennedict Mathurin are off to incredible starts to this season. Haliburton specifically is averaging north of 20 points a game, 10 assists and five rebounds. Mathurin is averaging 20 points himself, while Hield is not far behind at all with 19 points a game. The Hornets are going to need to score efficiently in this one if they want to defend their home court. The Pacers are third in the league this year in scoring averaging almost 118 points per game on 46% shooting. During the recent struggles for the Hornets, they have struggled to maintain consistency on offense, often going through long dry spells with bad shot attempts and little ball movement. In order to keep up with the Pacers, they are going to need to move the ball well and knock down open shots.

The return of LaMelo Ball has been exactly what Charlotte has needed to turn their season around. While he understandably hasn't shot the ball particularly well yet, his return has the team playing so much better and with much more energy and intensity. The star power that he brings is noticeable way further than just checking his box score, but you should expect to see him continue to get more and more comfortable on his ankle and score the ball more efficiently. As he returns to full health, look for Ball to implement his summer work on getting to the free throw line. He attempted just one free throw against the Magic, but that might be because he isn't 100% yet and doesn't trust his ankle driving against NBA defenders. He talked frequently in the summer about his work to get better at getting to the rim and finishing while drawing fouls, so I would expect to see that get implemented into his game as he continues to get healthier and trust his ankle. Charlotte can really use that rim pressure as that is an area they have struggled in all season. Dennis Smith Jr has been the most consistent guy in that area, but he is battling his own injuries right now. With Ball's passing ability, the increased threat of scoring at the rim will open up passing lanes and shots for teammates off of kick outs.

Most Important Area to Watch

As mentioned above, the Indiana Pacers have a trio of guards that are off to an incredible offensive start to the season. All three of them are averaging nearly 20 points per game and are moving the ball well. Backcourt defense will be the key in this one if the Hornets want to win their second straight game. They cannot let Hield, Haliburton, and Mathurin all score efficiently because Charlotte hasn't displayed the offensive fire power so far to keep up. The Hornets did an excellent job of limiting the Magic's guards on Monday night as they limited Jalen Suggs to just two points in 30 minutes of playing time. However, Indiana's guards are a much tougher test and the Hornets need to be up for it.

2022-2023 Team Stats

Points Per Game

IND- 117.3

CHA- 108.9

Field Goal %

IND- 45.9%

CHA- 44.8%

Assists Per Game

IND- 28.8

CHA- 25.5

Rebounds Per Game

IND- 45.2

CHA- 44.7

Indiana's 2022-2023 Active Individual Stat Leaders:

Points Per Game: Tyrese Haliburton (20.5)

Assists Per Game: Tyrese Haliburton (10.3)

Rebounds Per Game: Jalen Smith (7.6)

Blocks Per Game: Isaiah Jackson (1.2)

Charlotte's 2022-2023 Active Individual Stat Leaders:

Points Per Game: Terry Rozier (21.3)

Assists Per Game: LaMelo Ball (7.5)

Rebounds Per Game: Mason Plumlee (8.9)

Blocks Per Game: PJ Washington (1.1)

Spread & Over/Under Picks:

Spread: Hornets -2.5

It's been a little while since the Hornets have been favored in a game, so this is a welcome sight for Charlotte fans. While the Hornets are still without Gordon Hayward, Cody Martin and most likely Dennis Smith Jr, the team is starting to get healthy. They have their starting back court in place now which is crucial for this team, especially on the offensive end. As Rozier and Ball continue to get healthier, I would expect to see their offensive games take off and therefore the team as a whole will begin to improve on that end of the court. They are going to need to play well offensively in this one if they want to come out with a win, and I expect to see that happen. I think laying the points with Charlotte is the play here.

Over/Under: 233.5 points

This is a pretty high over/under for a game involving this version of the Charlotte Hornets that we've seen this season, implying that the teams will both score over 115 points. While I do expect the Hornets to improve drastically on offense over the coming weeks due to their improved health, I think this total is too high in this one. The Hornets should have a strong defensive game plan in place to slow down Indiana's guards, and this should lead to a lower scoring total for both teams combined. If Charlotte gets into a shootout with this team, they are not fully equipped to keep up as it stands right now. Play the under here.

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