Hornets will attempt two straight wins in trip to Indiana

INJURY REPORT

PROBABLE: Nick Smith Jr. (left ankle). OUT: LaMelo Ball (ankle, wrist), Tre Mann (disc), Brandon Miller (wrist), and Grant Williams (knee).

For the Indiana Pacers:

QUESTIONABLE: Myles Turner (illness) and Benedict Mathuring (calf). OUT: Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) and Tony Bradley (illness).

GAME PREVIEW

Now is the time for the Charlotte Hornets to get the tank back on track. It's nice to see the young players step up in clutch time and get a win, but losing to the Utah Jazz last time out would've been huge as it pertains to the lottery. It would've given them a shot to finish with the worst record in the NBA. Now, they'll need to continue piling up losses to stay in the top three.

The Indiana Pacers have clinched a playoff spot, but they could fall behind the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks. They can also still catch the New York Knicks if all goes their way, so it'll be vital for Indiana to get a victory at home tonight. The Hornets are pretty banged up with LaMelo Ball joining the "out for the season" crowd recently.

The Hornets are 1-4 over their last five contests. The Pacers, on the other hand, are 3-2 in their last five. The losses include the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

KEY MATCHUP: Pascal Siakam vs. Miles Bridges

If the Hornets are going to win these games down the stretch, it's going to be thanks to impressive Miles Bridges performances like last time out when he nearly recorded a triple-double. Tonight, he has to match up with Indiana's most consistent scorer in Pascal Siakam.

Siakam comes into play tonight averaging over 20 points, but with an offensive rating of 114.9 and a defensive rating of 109.3. That defensive rating is second among players with 40 games played. Meanwhile, Bridges is slightly worse on both ends of the floor with a 108.4 offensive rating and a 113 defensive rating. If the stats are to be trusted, it looks like Siakam will shut down Bridges on one end and score on him on the other. It's up to Bridges to make sure that doesn't happen.

Predicted Starting Five

Position	Hornets	Pacers
PG	KJ Simpson	Tyrese Haliburton
SG	Seth Curry	Andrew Nembhard
SF	Josh Green	Aaron Nesmith
PF	Miles Bridges	Pascal Siakam
C	Mark Williams	Myles Turner

Charlotte's next game is Friday, April 4 at home against the Sacramento Kings at 7:00 pm ET.

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