Charlotte Hornets Drop Second Straight After Loss to Paul George and the Pacers

The Charlotte Hornets have now dropped their second straight game away from home as Paul George and the Indiana Pacers proved to be too much to handle.

The Charlotte Hornets (14-11) were defeated by the Indiana Pacers (13-12) as Paul George and company (i.e. Jeff Teague) took over in the fourth and led the home team to victory in this one. Charlotte has now dropped two straight games with both of them being on the road. Their five-game road trip hasn’t gotten off to a good start. Indiana continues to be a difficult out at home as they improve their record at Bankers Life Fieldhouse this season to 10-4.

Despite suffering a left knee injury in their last game, Kemba Walker played and started against the Pacers. He played a team-high 35 minutes but only managed to score 12 points on the night. He added five assists but he did struggle. It was unclear if it was because of the injury but the great defense from Indiana didn’t make it any easier.

Turning Point

This game was close throughout the first three-quarters and it was up for grabs when the fourth rolled around. Indiana only led 76-73 at the start of the final period but Paul George and company took control of the game.

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Jeff Teague, in particular, played great down the stretch as he scored or assisted on 19 of their final 23 points.

The Pacers outscored the Hornets 34-21 in the fourth and started the quarter on a 6-0 run, as they cruised to an easy finish over Charlotte. Paul George only scored six points in the final quarter but his play throughout led his team to victory.

Marco Belinelli surprisingly led the Hornets in scoring with 14 points while Marvin Williams chipped in with 13 points. Nicolas Batum recorded yet another double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds but he still struggled to find his shot going only 4-13 from the field. Cody Zeller, Jeremy Lamb, and Ramon Sessions each added eight points in this one.

Frank Kaminsky and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist were arguably the two most underwhelming performers on the night as they combined to score only 12 points on 2-17 shooting from the floor. To MKG’s credit, he did grab 10 boards. Every player that saw court action for Charlotte scored but their effort and production as a team was far from what was needed and expected of them.

The dynamic duo of Paul George and Myles Turner were on full display as they each scored 22 points. Jeff Teague had himself a nice double-double with 16 points and 11 assists while Rodney Stuckey contributed 14 points off the bench. CJ Miles (11 points) rounds out the double-figure scorers. Al Jefferson could only muster up six points against his former team.

Highlight of the Game:

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"Quick Stings"

• Kemba was held to a season-low 12 points.
• Nic Batum recorded his sixth double-double of the season.
• Roy Hibbert scored six points in his return to Indiana and was booed multiple times.
• Charlotte only recorded 16 assists on their 28 made baskets.
• The Hornets only shot (28-84) 33.3% from the field and (10-26) 38.5% from the three-point line.

With the loss, the Hornets drop to 1-1 on the season against the Pacers. After sweeping the season series a year ago, Charlotte got off to a bad start in Indiana this time around. The two sides will meet twice more this year with both of those matches coming in March.

Next: Hornets Have Changed the Game With Defensive Rebounding

In their next game, the Charlotte Hornets will travel to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Wizards. It will be their first of four meetings on the season. Steve Clifford’s side will be hoping for a better performance as they look to shake their two-game skid. They are also looking for their first win away from home on this five-game road trip.