Charlotte Hornets head to Indiana to face the Pacers
The Charlotte Hornets are playing well right now, winning three straight. Can they make it four in a row when they travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers?
Playoff teams are capable of stringing together multiple wins in a row. The Charlotte Hornets (22-23) have now done that twice now this season, winning their third straight Saturday night in the Hive. The game was never really in question as the Hornets dominated the Phoenix Suns for much of the game.
Next up comes a pretty rough three-game stretch on the road, two of which are against teams very much in the playoff mix. It all begins with an away game at the Indiana Pacers (30-15). These two teams have already played each other once this season, with Charlotte actually winning the game in the Spectrum Center, 127-109.
Charlotte’s last game was a 135-115 blowout of the Phoenix Suns. They are currently 7th in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers’ last outing was a 111-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks. They are 3rd in the East. This is the second of three games in which these two teams will play.
Charlotte Hornets at Indiana Pacers
6:00 p.m. EST, Saturday, January 20th, 2019
Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Fox Sports Southeast
Injury Report:
CHA:
Cody Zeller – Hand (Out)
IND:
None
Things to watch for:
This will be the second game of back-to-back games for both Charlotte and Indiana, so fatigue could be an issue. It might be a little worse on Charlotte given that they had to fly up immediately after their game on Saturday.
In their last game against the Pacers, the Hornets shot 62% from three. I don’t see that happening again, but one can hope. Points may be at a premium in this one, as the Pacers give up the fewest points per game in the NBA, allowing just over 103 points per contest. Charlotte did put up 127 against them, but that was back in November and at home.
Keys to the game:
It’s obvious that Indiana is a good defensive squad. In fact, they rank 5th in the league in opponent field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot just under 45% from the floor.
Charlotte would do well to try and run proper ball screens to get better looks. They’ll have to be diligent on the defensive end as well, as the Pacers are 4th in the NBA in field goal percentage. So, it’s clear that the Pacers are efficient on both ends of the court.
Next. Miles Bridges to participate in Dunk Contest. dark
This one isn’t going to be easy and if the Hornets let the Pacers’ defense affect them, then it could be over fairly quickly. If they can run an effective offense and attack the basket to draw fouls, they can have a shot to win this game. We’ll see if they can leave Indiana with a win and get back to .500 on Sunday night.