The Charlotte Hornets kept their postseason push rolling Friday night, blasting the Indiana Pacers 129-108 at Spectrum Center to win for the eighth time in 10 games.
Charlotte entered the night eighth in the Eastern Conference standings, and the result kept it firmly in the mix. The Hornets improved to 42-26 behind a fast start, a barrage of 3-pointers and another efficient performance from their core.
Brandon Miller led Charlotte with 22 points, Kon Knueppel added 20 and Miles Bridges finished with 19. LaMelo Ball chipped in 18 points and nine assists as the Hornets shot 24 of 49 from beyond the arc and never let Indiana settle in.
The game turned early. Charlotte opened with a 31-11 burst, fueled by a wave of perimeter shooting and three first-quarter 3-pointers from reserve Sion James.
That pace carried into halftime, where the Hornets had already hit 14 of 27 shots from deep and built a 69-50 lead. Once Charlotte had Indiana chasing, the Hornets kept stretching the floor and forcing the Pacers into a game they could not match possession for possession.
Knueppel continued a strong rookie campaign after setting the franchise record for 3-pointers in a season Thursday against Phoenix. He finished 3 of 7 from deep and also showed off his all-around skill with a coast-to-coast layup.
Ball did more than score. His five made 3-pointers and nine assists helped Charlotte generate clean looks all night, while James gave the second unit a major lift with 13 points, just two shy of his career high.
Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 30 points, and Quenton Jackson added 16, but the Pacers had trouble keeping pace after the opening quarter. Indiana, which had won two straight, fell to 18-59 as Charlotte’s spacing and ball movement repeatedly punished defensive breakdowns.
The Hornets now head to Minnesota on Sunday night looking to keep momentum alive in the Eastern Conference chase.
