What: Charlotte Hornets (11-40) (6-21 home) vs. Indiana Pacers (30-24) (13-13 away)
When: 7:00pm Eastern
Where: Spectrum Center; Charlotte, N.C.
How to watch: Bally Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass
Outfitting: Hornets–Statement (purple), Pacers–Statement (yellow)
Game Lines: Hornets +16.5, O/U 238.5
Injury Report:
Hornets: LaMelo Ball (R ankle), OUT; Cody Martin (R knee), PROBABLE; Mark Williams (lower back), OUT.
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring), GTD; Jalen Smith (back), OUT.
The post-Mitch Kupchak era has officially begun. This morning, it was reported that Kupchak will step down as president of basketball operations and transition to an advisory role within the front office.
The Charlotte Hornets will look to kick off a new era for the organization with a win tonight. It would be the second time this season the Hornets won consecutive games (Washington, Boston in late-Nov., 2023) and the fifth win overall since the turn of the calendar.
On paper, this matchup is as imbalanced as it gets; the Pacers come into tonight with the #1 offense while the Hornets tote the league’s worst defense and #28 offense. Thankfully, that #30 defensive rating and bottom-of-the-barrel offense are products of a team that no longer exists.
The new-look Hornets let up 106 points to Memphis on Saturday — they’d only allowed 106 or fewer four times previously. Bolstered by an 8-12 shooting performance from Vasilije Micic, the Hornets also shot 58% and made 16 threes in that game. Quibble over the caliber of opponent if you must, but it’s clear the trade deadline brought some juice to a team that had exactly none of it only a week ago.
Indiana has won three of its last four, starting with a 105-99 win over Charlotte on Feb. 4. The sixth-place Pacers have had Haliburton going in and out of the lineup for most of the year due to a hamstring injury. He’s on the injury report for tonight but it seems unlikely he misses the game unless the Indiana medical staff decides he could use the rest.
The Hornets got a look at the Pascal Siakam Pacers in the last meeting, but it should be noted how effective he’s been with Indy. In 13 appearances, Siakam is averaging 21.5 points, 7 rebounds and 4.7 assists on 62.5% true shooting, offering a layer of versatility and playmaking on both ends that the Pacers didn’t have in their frontcourt prior to the trade.
It’ll be fun to watch the new guys continue to settle in. Until LaMelo Ball returns, it’s safe to assume Tre Mann will remain in the starting lineup with Micic handling backup point guard duties and Seth Curry filling the gaps off-ball. Something to watch for; does Steve Clifford trust Davis Bertans, Grant Williams, or maybe even JT Thor to play small-ball five when Nick Richards sits? The answer is almost certainly matchup-dependent, but against a bigger Pacers lineup, Bertans’ height might be preferred to Williams’ strength.
