The Hornets were blown out in every sense by the Pacers in Tuesday’s play-in game in Indianapolis, falling 144-117.
From the onset, the Pacers raced out to a big lead behind 14 points inside the first five minutes by Doug McDermott as they led 23-9. A Hornets run never materialized at any point on the night as the Pacers continued to build on their advantage.
The lead was 16 points by the end of the first quarter and 24 points by halftime. Any hopes of a run early in the third quarter were extinguished with haste as Indiana scored the first seven points of the half inside the opening 75 seconds to push the lead over 30 points.
The Pacers led by at least 23 points the remainder of the contest and were never truly under threat from early in the first quarter on.
Miles Bridges had a game-high 23 points for Charlotte. Cody Zeller had 17 points, going a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and 3-for-3 from the free throw line.