Three Standouts From the Hornets' Blowout Victory Over the Indiana Pacers

The Charlotte Hornets entered Thursday night's matchup with the Indiana Pacers 0-2 against the reigning Eastern Conference champions this season, with both losses being in just the single digits.

For the second straight game, the Hornets would face off against their opponent with full strength, with a starting five that had gone 16-2 together entering the night. A 36-12 second quarter, including a 41-12 run, helped push the Buzz over the top tonight, and they were able to secure their third straight victory.

Kon Knueppel

With 22 games remaining on the season, Hornets star rookie Kon Knueppel set the NBA rookie record for three-point makes in a season, easily surpassing Keegan Murray's record of 206 with eight threes tonight.

Knueppel retook the lead in the NBA's Rookie Ladder on Tuesday, as he continues to put together not just one of the greatest rookie shooting seasons ever, but one of the greatest shooting seasons ever. Kon is shooting 43.6% from three on 7.9 attempts a game, while leading the league in threes by 18.

Brandon Miller

Brandon Miller has been exceptional since the calendar turned to 2026, and Thursday night was no different. He scored 33 points on 11-19 from the field, 6-11 from three, and added 7 rebounds and 4 assists.

Miller's third season has been under a microscope, as the former second overall selection is expected to undergo contract discussions this summer. He's been excellent since January 1, where he has averaged 21.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.4 steals, shot 44.3% from the field, and 40.4% from three.

Miller has been a huge part of the Hornets' turnaround, and the team is 6.2 points better than their opponent when he is on versus when he is off.

The Bench

After years of struggling, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson has put together an excellent bench, now being led by Coby White, whom the team acquired at the trade deadline earlier this month.

The Hornets' bench combined for 31 points tonight, but was a combined +15. One of the players off the bench, Grant Williams, has been a star in his role lately. The Hornets are ten points better than their opponent when he is on versus when he is off, and his shooting has only added to this as of late.

Over his last nine games, Grant is shooting 41.2% from three, while averaging 9.7 points. Both numbers are significantly up from where he was during his first eight games, where he averaged 4.9 points and shot 23.3% from deep.