Charlotte Hornets fall to Indiana Pacers in preseason action

The Charlotte Hornets played their first home game of the 2022 preseason on Wednesday night at the Spectrum Center as they welcomed the Indiana Pacers to Uptown.

Unfortunately for the home team, their fortunes were not much better tonight than they were on Sunday afternoon on the road against the Boston Celtics. Indiana raced out to a 10-point advantage after the first quarter and despite Charlotte’s best efforts to make this a competitive affair, the final result was never in any real danger after the initial surge from the visitors.

Terry Rozier led the way for the Hornets with 18 points, while Aaron Nesmith paced Indiana with 16 points of his own.

What went right for the Charlotte Hornets?

Not much went right for the Hornets, although they did win the turnover margin battle for the second straight game while also shooting more free throws than the opposition for the second straight game.

Rozier shot much better in this matchup, going 5/11 from the field and 3/8 from three-point range after shooting 4/13 and 1/6 from three-point range against the Celtics.

P.J. Washington had a better outing tonight, posting 13 points on 5/11 shooting after recording just two points on 1/7 shooting against Boston.

Bryce McGowens did some nice things in limited action, registering nine points in 11 minutes. He also showed controlled aggression, leading the Hornets in free throw attempts with seven despite playing the tenth-most minutes.

What went wrong for the Charlotte Hornets?

Shooting was better overall for the Hornets, but it was still nowhere near where it needs to be. Charlotte went 33/96 from the field (34.4%), 9/43 from three-point range (20.9%), and 22/36 from the free throw line (61.1%).

For the second straight contest, the Hornets were blown out despite attempting more shots than the opposition, as their 96 field goal attempts outpaced Indiana’s 93 attempts.

James Bouknight continues to struggle, as he had just five points on 1/5 shooting in 20 minutes of action tonight. He is now 1/14 from the field and 0/7 from three-point range through two preseason games.

Mark Williams and Kai Jones saw very limited minutes, each playing just eight minutes. They combined for one point on 0/6 shooting.

Mason Plumlee attempted a left-handed jump shot.

What is next for the Charlotte Hornets?

Friday, 10/7 – vs. Boston Celtics (in Greensboro, North Carolina)

Monday, 10/10 – vs. Washington Wizards

Wednesday, 10/12 – at Philadelphia 76ers