86
88
The Charlotte Hornets dropped their third straight game last night in Indianapolis, as the Pacers would spoil Lance Stephenson's homecoming to Bankers Life Fieldhouse with a buzzer-beater from Solomon Hill to give Indiana a 88-86 win over Charlotte. The loss now drops Charlotte to 4-8 on the year, while Indiana improves its mark to 5-7.
Individually, the Pacers were led in scoring by Roy Hibbert, who had 18 point on just 7-of-14 shooting from the field to go with his 11 rebounds, while Luis Scola joined in on the act to finish things up with 15 points and Donald Sloan, along with Rodney Stuckey, each had 11 to round out the group of double-figure scorers for Indiana, who shot 44.9% from the field on the final statsheet, while out-rebounding the Hornets by a 51-41 margin, as the Pacers were without Paul George for last night's game, but still managed to pull out the win.
Over on the Hornets side of the statsheet, Al Jefferson got back into the double-digits column, after his streak was snapped on Monday night at home against Dallas, finishing with a game-high 28 points to lead not only Charlotte, but all game scorers, to go with 8 rebounds. He was joined by Kemba Walker with 12, and Lance Stephenson rounded out the trio of double-figure scorers with 10 points on his return to Indy, as Charlotte would shoot an even 43% from the field in the loss.
Next up for the Hornets, a match-up with the Orlando Magic on Friday night at 7:00 p.m., as the Hornets will have their first of many "Classic Nights" at Time Warner Cable Arena to honor some of the memorable moments from the original Hornets era.
Charlotte Hornets(4-7) vs. Indiana Pacers(4-7)
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.
Television: SportSouth
Radio: WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan)
Series history(since original Hornets first season in 1988-89): IND leads series 57-35
It will be an emotional night for Lance Stephenson, as he and the Charlotte Hornets travel to Indianapolis on Wednesday night to take on a struggling Pacers team that enters the game with a 4-7 mark, just like the Hornets. Charlotte is coming off a hard-fought loss to the Dallas Mavericks back on Monday night at Time Warner Cable Arena 107-80, while Indiana is coming off a 99-90 win over the Bulls back on Saturday night in Chicago.
Scouting the Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets are coming off a lackluster performance on Monday night as they were blown out a home by the always tough Dallas Mavericks 107-80, dropping Charlotte to 4-7 on the season. Once again, the Hornets will be without Gary Neal, P.J. Hairston and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for this match-up tonight, meaning that we could see another lineup adjustment, as the Hornets look to snap their brief 2-game skid tonight in Indianapolis as Lance Stephenson makes his return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse for the first time as a member of the Hornets.
Scouting the Pacers
Like the Hornets, the Pacers come in with a 4-7 mark into tonight's Eastern Conference match-up at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. After an exciting season last year, the Pacers are struggling out of the gates this season, but they do have a group of talented players including Roy Hibbert and Paul George, that can make it tough for those playing the Pacers, and these two players will be in the spotlight tonight for Frank Vogel's squad, as they welcome in former teammate Lance Stephenson and the Charlotte Hornets to Indianapolis.
Next 4 games for the Hornets(Home games in Purple, Road games in Teal)
Friday: Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte*(7:00 p.m.)
Sunday: Charlotte @ Miami Heat*(6:00 p.m.)
Monday: L.A. Clippers vs. Charlotte(7:00 p.m.)
Next Wednesday: Portland Trail Blazers vs. Charlotte(7:00 p.m.)
*-Southeast Division game
NOTES: All SportSouth telecasts begin with "Hornets Live" 30 minutes before tip-off; All Hornets games can be heard locally on flagship station WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan) and throughout the Carolinas on the Hornets Radio Network.
