Pacers Rout LaMelo Ball, Hornets in Play-in Game; Will Face Wizards-Celtics Loser
The Indiana Pacers are now one win away from clinching a postseason berth after defeating the visiting Charlotte Hornets 144-117 on Tuesday in Indianapolis' Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Indiana scored 40 first-quarter points and held a 24-point halftime lead in a dominant performance that featured eight Pacers in double figures.
All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis was one assist shy of a triple-double with 14 points, 21 rebounds and nine assists. Oshae Brissett's 23 points led the Pacers, who shot 55.2 percent from the field and out-rebounded Charlotte 54-36.
The Pacers excelled despite playing without Caris LeVert, who was declared out for Tuesday (health and safety protocols). LeVert had averaged 20.7 points in 35 games this year for the Pacers, who also played without defensive stalwart Myles Turner (turf toe).
Malcolm Brogdon (right hamstring) returned to the lineup after missing 10 games and added 16 points. Pacers forward Doug McDermott scored 14 of his 21 points in the first 4:52 of the game.
Hornets forward Miles Bridges led his team with 23 points and eight boards. LaMelo Ball scored 14 points.
Indiana will now travel to face the loser of the Washington Wizards at Boston Celtics play-in game, which tips off at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday.
The Wizards-C's winner will be the Eastern Conference's No. 7 seed, and the loser will host Indiana for the right to be the No. 8 seed.
Notable Performances
Hornets F Miles Bridges: 23 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists
Hornets G Terry Rozier: 16 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists
Hornets G LaMelo Ball: 14 points, 4 assists
Pacers F/C Domantas Sabonis: 14 points, 21 rebounds, 9 assists
Pacers F Oshae Brissett: 23 points, 5 rebounds
Pacers G Malcolm Brogdon: 16 points, 8 assists
Shorthanded Pacers Crush Hornets
This was the Pacers' injury situation leading into the Hornets game:
The Pacers' leading scorer (Brogdon) was coming off injury. The second-leading scorer (LeVert) was out. The third-leading scorer (and All-Star and nightly triple-double threat) in Sabonis was hurt enough to be placed on the injury report.
A defensive superstar averaging 3.4 blocks per game (Turner) continued to be sidelined. Last year's leading scorer (T.J. Warren) has missed all but four games. Lastly, the team's second-best three-point shooter (Jeremy Lamb) was out as well.
It's been a trying season for the Pacers under first-year head coach Nate Bjorkgren, but this team showed a lot of heart and resiliency to overcome significant injuries and hurdles. They played so well that the game felt over after one quarter.
It was even hard to see the Hornets putting any sort of dent in the Pacers' lead after that effort. Over the first 7:36 of the game, McDermott had as many points (14) as the entire Hornets team. The Pacers matched McDermott's 14 points as well for an early 28-14 lead en route to a 40-24 first-quarter edge.
The Hornets' three-point defense let a lot to be desired on this night, with the Pacers making 16 of 35 three-pointers. But there were serious issues on the glass, where Sabonis simply crushed any Charlotte low-post presence that crossed his path.
Otherwise, the Pacers did what they wanted against a Hornets team that looked a few steps too slow. Brogdon fired a quick pass to Justin Holiday for an easy two off an inbounds play:
Charlotte also stopped playing defense at the end of the third quarter, giving T.J. McConnell a free look at the basket:
And Brissett was a monster all game, punctuating this win with a transition dunk following a McConnell steal:
Indiana ultimately delivered a first-round knockout on Tuesday as it kept its season alive.
Hornets' Regular-Season Skid Bleeds Into Play-in Round
The end of the regular season went about as poorly as possible for the Hornets, who lost five straight games and allowed 115.0 points per game along the way. The Hornets were in four of the five games until the fourth quarter, with the lone exception being a 113-90 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
However, that skid left Charlotte with absolutely no positive momentum going into the play-in round, where the Hornets needed to win two road games in two different locations over three nights just for the right to make the playoffs as the No. 8 seed.
Ultimately, the Hornets just fell apart at a very inopportune time, and their season is over with a six-game losing streak.
With the exception of Bridges, who shot 10-of-16 from the field, and Cody Zeller, who made all seven of his field goals for 17 points, it was not a banner day for the Hornets rotation.
Ball has been tremendous all season, and he should be this season's Rookie of the Year. Tuesday just wasn't his night, though, as he shot 4-of-14 and committed four turnovers. P.J. Washington went just 3-of-10, and Devonte' Graham missed 7-of-8 buckets.
And that's not counting the defensive effort, which was at times non-existent:
After the game, Bridges provided a blunt and honest assessment of his team's performance.
Better days await for the Hornets, especially with Ball running point. The season as a whole was a massive improvement over the past five years, which saw the Hornets miss out on the playoffs by significant margins.
However, this is still a rough way for Charlotte to end the season, especially considering that the game felt over as soon as McDermott began nailing buckets all over the court.
What's Next?
The Pacers will hit the road to face Boston or Washington on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. TNT will carry the broadcast.
The Hornets' season is over.
