Charlotte Hornets at Indiana Pacers Game Preview
The Hornets are heading back on the road following an upset win over the Bucks to take on the Indiana Pacers. The Hornets currently sit at 11-29 on the season, good for the 14th-best record in the East. Meanwhile, the conference foe Pacers have compiled a 22-18 record on the season, good for the seventh seed.
The young Hornets have struggled to fight through a myriad of injuries this season, often making them easy pickings for playoff-caliber foes. In spite of this, the blowout 138-109 win over Milwaukee on Friday shows that this Charlotte squad has not rolled over and plans to fight in every game they can.
The Pacers are another young team with a budding star point guard from the 2020 class, Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton was a late lottery pick by the Kings, who has found himself flourishing since the trade to Indiana. A keen awareness of the court has helped him lead a surprisingly competent Pacer squad to more success than many expected.
The Pacers also have Myles Turner, who seems like he has been a rumored trade target for the Hornets for years. Turner can do a bit of everything, but his shot-blocking prowess is where he provides the most value. The Hornets are going to have to be careful against the Pacers' interior defense, as Indiana currently averages the third-most block per game in the NBA (5.1).
Without Kelly Oubre Jr., who anchored Charlotte's roster through the toughest of the injury woes, Charlotte is going to need efficient perimeter play on both ends of the court. Specifically, they are going to need to find a way to lock down Buddy Hield, who is currently leading the NBA in 3-pointers made while shooting the 10th-best 3PT% in the league.
Matchup to Watch: LaMelo Ball vs Tyrese Haliburton
Both point guards hail from the same draft class and have seen enough success through their third NBA seasons to have separated themselves from the rest of the class' guards. Both guards bring a pass the ball with mastery well beyond their years and are set up to be All-Stars for a long time. Seeing them play head-on gives viewers the opportunity to directly compare the young stars.
2022-23 Team Stats
PPG: 115.6 (IND), 112.0 (CHA)
RPG: 42.0 (IND), 45.8 (CHA)
APG: 26.9 (IND), 25.2 (CHA)
FG%: 46.3% (IND), 44.6% (CHA)
3FG%: 37.1% (IND), 32.5% (CHA)
FT%: 80.0% (IND), 74.5% (CHA)
2020-21 Team Leaders (Returners only):
Minutes: Tyrese Haliburton - 33.5 (IND), Terry Rozier - 35.4 (CHA)
FG%: Isaiah Jackson - 56.5% (IND), Mason Plumlee - 64.7% (CHA)
3FG%: Buddy Hield - 42.9% (IND), LaMelo Ball - 37.7% (CHA)
PPG: Tyrese Haliburton - 20.4 (IND), LaMelo Ball - 23.7 (CHA)
RPG: Myles Turner - 7.9 (IND), Mason Plumlee - 9.5 (CHA)
APG: Tyrese Haliburton - 10.2 (IND), Terry Rozier - 5.3 (CHA)
SPG: Tyrese Haliburton - 1.7 (IND), LaMelo Ball - 1.6 (CHA)
BPG: Myles Turner - 2.2 (IND) , PJ Washington - 1.1 (CHA)
Stat key: PPG - points per game | RPG - rebounds per game | APG - assists per game | SPG - steals per game | BPG- blocks per game
Wizards roster
PG: Tyrese Haliburton, T.J. McConnell, Trevelin Queen
SG: Andrew Nembhard, Benedict Mathurin (DTD)
SF: Buddy Hield, Chris Duarte, Oshae Brissett
PF: Aaron Nesmith, Jalen Smith (DTD), James Johnson
C: Myles Turner, Isaiah Jackson, Goga Bitadze, Terry Taylor
Head coach: Rick Carlisle
Hornets roster
PG: LaMelo Ball, Dennis Smith Jr. , Theo Maledon
SG: Terry Rozier, Kelly Oubre Jr. (OUT), James Bouknight
SF: Gordon Hayward (DTD), Jalen McDaniels, Bryce McGowens
PF: P.J. Washington, Kai Jones, JT Thor
C: Mason Plumlee, Nick Richards, Mark Williams
Head coach: Steve Clifford
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