Indiana Pacers fight back for overtime win over Charlotte Hornets to close preseason

The Pacers wrapped up preseason play on Thursday night

Oct 17, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (23) and Charlotte Hornets forward Cody Martin (11) go for a rebound in the first quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers and Charlotte Hornets each wrapped up their preseason slate with a battle on Thursday night in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Indiana had been struggling defensively for much of their exhibition play, and they were hoping to get off to a better start. The blue and gold have been very up and down in the preseason so far, something they had a chance to clean up before the regular season starts next week.

The Hornets have a new head coach and are still building a system, so they were trying to establish chemistry and rhythm. Both teams can score with ease, so whichever defense had a better night would give their team a great chance to win. Here's what went down.

First Quarter

• The Pacers had their entire starting five available for just the second time of the preseason. Head coach Rick Carlisle said before the action that he hoped to see consistency from his team.
• Andrew Nembhard scored first for Indiana as Tyrese Haliburton hit him with a pass on a cut. Nick Richards quickly answered for Charlotte.
• Brandon Miller had six points early on a pair of three-point looks to give the Hornets an 11-9 lead. But Myles Turner was playing well for Indiana and matched his success, scoring eight points in three minutes.
• Indiana started off 7/8 from the field. The Hornets were scoring adequately, but they couldn't keep up early.
• T.J. McConnell and Bennedict Mathurin were the first two players in off the bench. Obi Toppin and Isaiah Jackson were unavailable for the Pacers.
• Outside of Miller, the Hornets were struggling to score in the first stretch of action. The Pacers, up six with 3:46 left in the quarter, brought in Jarace Walker, Ben Sheppard, and James Wiseman.
• Charlotte still had made just two two-point shots after 9.5 minutes of play. Indiana led 27-20 at the time.
• Mathurin had a slick finish after beating Moussa Diabate on a drive.

Score after one period: Pacers 29, Hornets 25.

Second Quarter

• Wiseman opened the second-quarter scoring for Indiana with a putback layup.
• Indiana's defensive abilities fell when their starting five exited the game. Charlotte tied the score at 31 with 10:12 left in the first half.
• After the Pacers pushed back into the lead, the Hornets went on another run that ended with a Miller three. The visitors led 38-36 at the time.
• Turner was hit with a flagrant foul for a reckless closeout on a Miller three near the middle of the period. The second-year forward made each foul shot.
• The Hornets went on a 13-0 run that included an incredible dunk from Miller. The Pacers didn't score for three minutes during that span. The visitors' lead reached 10 points before Haliburton ended the run with a three-point shot.
• Haliburton hit another three just a few possessions later. He was heating up at a good time for the Pacers.
• With just over two minutes to go before halftime, Pascal Siakam knocked down his first shot of the game.
• The Hornets rolled through the second quarter and outscored the Pacers 36-20 in the frame. They made 11 first-half threes.

Score after two frames: Hornets 61, Pacers 49. Turner led the way for Indiana with 16 points at the halftime break.

Third Quarter

• The Hornets did not have any of their starting lineup on the floor to start the third quarter. Indiana had their full opening five in.
• Despite the lineup changes for Charlotte, they still were having no trouble scoring. They kept putting pressure on the basket and led 70-56 after five third-quarter minutes.
• The Pacers defense was having all sorts of problems. They had weak closeouts and rotations as Hornets players kept getting open. It was not the effort they hoped to show on the less glamorous end of the court.
• Indiana's bench group came in trailing by 15 with 4:49 to go in the third frame. They had a lot of work to do.
• A good shooting stretch from the second unit helped the Pacers cut their deficit down to seven with about 100 seconds left in the quarter. They were generating good looks.
• Indiana's offense wasn't at its normal level, which made a comeback difficult. They couldn't get on a run.

Score after three quarters: Hornets 85, Pacers 73.

Fourth Quarter

• A 7-0 run from Indiana to start the fourth quarter narrowed the scoring margin. They needed to keep up that level if they were going to win.
• Sheppard had a few nice rim attacks that generated points. He's been working on his off-the-dribble game some in the offseason.
• Indiana brought in more reserves, and a few nice plays from Enrique Freeman and Mathurin had the Hornets lead down to just five points.
• Charlotte answered that stretch from the blue and gold with a burst of their own, and they were up 10 at 100-90 with four minutes to go. Indiana needed a sublime finish if they were going to win.
• The Pacers once again found themselves down by five with two minutes remaining after a key three from Tristen Newton. They still had life, but were running out of time.
• A Tidjane Salaun three in the final 75 seconds nearly put the game away for the Hornets.
• The Pacers battled back, and thanks to a little luck they had a chance late. Ben Sheppard hit a three while getting fouled with 3.9 seconds left, and his free throw tied the game at 106.
• The game went to overtime after a missed three at the buzzer from Nick Smith Jr. Sheppard had a big fourth quarter and was up to 14 points, which got Indiana into the extra period.

Overtime

• Cole Swider hit a three to open the extra period and give the Pacers a lead. It was a tough, leaning shot.
• The Pacers defense was better for the first two minutes of the overtime frame. They weren't playing perfect, but they were doing enough to keep a lead.
• Quenton Jackson had a monster dunk with about 100 seconds to go to give the Pacers a lead again.
• Enrique Freeman had a terrific overtime period and made several impressive plays around the rim. A dunk with 48.3 second left gave the blue and gold a six-point lead.
• The Pacers effectively put the game away with a big offensive rebound with about 20 seconds to go.

The final score was 121-116. Turner was the leading scorer with 18 points. The Pacers finished the preseason 2-2 and open the regular season next Wednesday in Detroit against the Pistons.

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