NBA

Charlotte Hornets at Indiana Pacers

· National Basketball Association
7-17, 2-8 Away
Final
113 - 109

10-15, 7-4 Home

Brandon Miller's late free throws help Hornets beat the Pacers 113-109 and snap 8-game skid

Brandon Miller astounds with a soaring one-hand slam

Vasa Micic added 18 points and nine assists as Charlotte overcame 24 turnovers by shooting 51% from the field. Cody Martin finished with 14 points and six rebounds and Nick Richards had nine points and 14 rebounds.

T.J. McConnell scored a career-high 30 points and had six assists for the Pacers, who have lost five of their last six games. Jarace Walker added 15 points.

The banged-up Hornets prevailed without three of their top four scorers in LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and Tre Mann, who average a combined 61.2 points.

Takeaways Hornets: Because of all the injuries, first-year coach Charles Lee has never had his full complement of core players on the floor together, and this victory was a testament to perseverance. Mark Williams, expected to be the Hornets’ starting center, was a late scratch as he continues his recovery from a strained tendon in his left foot.

Pacers: Questions have arisen about what is wrong with Indiana, which went to the Eastern Conference finals last season. Indiana is off to a 10-15 start this season.

Key moment Miller, who added six rebounds and five assists, hit two free throws with 7.2 seconds left to put the game out of reach after Indiana had pulled within two.

Key stat The Pacers were outrebounded 45-29.

Up next The Hornets are at the Chicago Bulls on Friday. On the same day, the Pacers play at the Philadelphia 76ers.

Regular Season Series

CHA leads series 2-0

Recent Plays

4th 0.0 End of Game 113 - 109
4th 0.0 End of the 4th Quarter 113 - 109
4th 0.1 Cody Martin defensive rebound 113 - 109
4th 3.0 Bennedict Mathurin misses 30-foot three point pullup jump shot 113 - 109
4th 7.0 Brandon Miller makes free throw 2 of 2 113 - 109

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/cha.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCHA https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/ind.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originIND
40-78 FG 42-82
51 Field Goal % 51
14-29 3PT 12-36
48 Three Point % 33
19-26 FT 13-15
73 Free Throw % 87
45 Rebounds 29
10 Offensive Rebounds 3
35 Defensive Rebounds 26
24 Assists 23
11 Steals 9
3 Blocks 7
24 Turnovers 17
1 Team Turnovers 0
25 Total Turnovers 17
0 Technical Fouls 0
0 Total Technical Fouls 0
0 Flagrant Fouls 0
29 Points Conceded Off Turnovers 16
10 Fast Break Points 4
48 Points in Paint 44
18 Fouls 19
9 Largest Lead 2
Indiana Pacers Indiana Pacers Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Isaiah Jackson, F Day-To-Day Dec 23
Ben Sheppard, G Out Dec 19
Aaron Nesmith, G Out Nov 15
Obi Toppin, F Out Oct 31
Tyrese Haliburton, G Out Jul 7
Charlotte Hornets Charlotte Hornets Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Mason Plumlee, C Day-To-Day Dec 23
Ryan Kalkbrenner, C Day-To-Day Dec 23
Grant Williams, F Out Dec 13

Game Information

Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Location: Indianapolis, IN
Attendance: 17,274 · Capacity:

2025-26 Southeast Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Orlando 17 13 .567 - W1
Miami 15 15 .500 2 L3
Atlanta 15 16 .484 2.5 L4
Charlotte 10 20 .333 7 W1
Washington 5 23 .179 11 L2

2025-26 Central Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Detroit 24 6 .800 - W3
Cleveland 17 14 .548 7.5 W2
Chicago 14 15 .483 9.5 W4
Milwaukee 12 18 .400 12 W1
Indiana 6 24 .200 18 L6
Full Standings

NBA News

Bane's work on both ends helps Magic hold off Trail Blazers, 110-106

Bane's work on both ends helps Magic hold off Trail Blazers, 110-106

— Desmond Bane scored 23 points, Anthony Black added 22 and the Orlando Magic turned back Portland's comeback attempt Tuesday night for a 110-106 victory over the Trail Blazers.

Leonard's 41-point game powers Clippers to a 128-108 victory over the Rockets

Leonard's 41-point game powers Clippers to a 128-108 victory over the Rockets

— Kawhi Leonard scored 41 points and James Harden added 29 as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Houston Rockets 128-108 on Tuesday night.

Cunningham, Duren and Harris lead East-best Pistons to 136-127 win over Kings

Cunningham, Duren and Harris lead East-best Pistons to 136-127 win over Kings

— Cade Cunningham had 23 points and 14 assists, Jalen Duren had 23 points and 12 rebounds, and the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons beat the Sacramento Kings 136-127 on Tuesday night.

Cooper Flagg leads Mavs over Nuggets, draws praise from Jokic

Cooper Flagg leads Mavs over Nuggets, draws praise from Jokic

Cooper Flagg had the best long-range shooting performance of his young career and left an impression on three-time MVP Nikola Jokic with his performance down the stretch Tuesday night.