South Charlotte Today

By the middle of the third quarter, the Charlotte Hornets were struggling to make shots as the Indiana Pacers began to gain an advantage during Friday night's game at Spectrum Center. However, Brandon Miller's performance and a strong defensive effort turned the tide, leading to a 103-83 victory for the Hornets.

Brandon Miller, who had nine points at halftime, scored 17 points in the third quarter and finished with 29 points on 10-of-17 shooting. He also tied his career-high with seven three-pointers, adding six rebounds and six assists. LaMelo Ball contributed with 31 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and one turnover despite an inefficient shooting night.

Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting. Bennedict Mathurin added 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting.

The game was tied at halftime before Indiana went on a run to build a lead in the third quarter. The Hornets responded with a strong finish to the frame and maintained their momentum into the fourth quarter.

Defensively, Charlotte held Indiana to a season-low score for a Hornets opponent this year. Tyrese Haliburton struggled with only six points on 2-of-11 shooting.

Charlotte dominated in rebounding despite missing key players due to injury. Moussa Diabaté grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds off the bench.

Rookie Tidjane Salaün started in place of injured Miles Bridges and managed seven rebounds in his debut start.

Hornets Head Coach Charles Lee praised his team's defense: “The first thing that I was happy with was the fact that we continued to play defense even though our offense wasn’t as good as it probably could’ve been or should’ve been… I think in the past, the team has resorted to letting the offense affect our emotional spirit...”

The Hornets will begin a two-game road trip against Philadelphia on Sunday. The 76ers will be without Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey for this matchup.