What: Charlotte Hornets (28-31) (16-15 road) at Indiana Pacers (25-44) (10-20 home)
When: 7:00pm Eastern
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, IN
How to watch: FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass
Outfitting: Hornets–Association (white), Pacers–Icon (navy)
Game Lines: Hornets -12.5, Hornets money line -800, O/U 228.5
Injuries:
Hornets: Liam McNeeley-out (ankle)
Pacers: Andrew Nembhard-questionable (back), Obi Toppin-questionable (foot), Pascal Siakam-doubtful (wrist), Tyrese Haliburton-out (achilles), Ivica Zubac-out (ankle), Aaron Nemsith-out (ankle), Johnny Furphy-out (knee)
The Pacers have taken a mighty fall from their NBA Finals appearance last season. They were expected to take a big step back with Tyrese Haliburton out with an achilles tear, but it’s all come crashing down. And they’re probably happy about it. They’re careening towards a top pick in a loaded draft in what’s supposed to be the last year where tanking is tolerated. Next year they’ll rock a core of Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Ivica Zubac, and whoever they land in the draft if they keep their pick. But right now, they have none of those guys,
For the game tonight, the Pacers will only have one player from a plausible starting lineup, third year pro Jarace Walker. Walker hasn’t lived up to his draft status as the eighth overall pick a couple of years ago and has badly struggled with efficiency in a more prominent role. The bigger concerns are probably Jay Huff and TJ McConnell. Huff went nuts against the Hornets in the first meeting and didn’t miss a shot in the second. McConnell averaged 18.5 points in the first two games and didn’t a miss a shot in the first one. For whatever reason, that duo has been a nightmare for the Hornets this season.
On the whole, the Pacers are terrible. They have the worst offense in the league, and their defense isn’t a whole lot better. they played some competent basketball in January but have reverted back to losing almost every game in February. They recently lost back to back games to the Wizards. It’s not going well right now, but again, that’s what they want.
The Hornets are riding a franchise record eight game road winning streak. They’ll have their full rotation available tonight, so there’s no reason they shouldn’t win this game. It’d be nice if they didn’t wait until the third quarter to turn it up this time, but whatever it takes to get the win.
