Indiana Pacers at Charlotte Hornets
· National Basketball Association
Pacers beat Hornets 114-112 to end 13-game skid and give Rick Carlisle his 1,000th win
Carlisle had been stuck on 999 victories since his injury-depleted team beat Sacramento on Dec. 8. He improved to 1,000-891 in 24 seasons as an NBA coach.
T.J. McConnell added 23 points and eight assists, and Aaron Nesmith chipped in 16 points.
LaMelo Ball made seven 3-pointers and had 33 points and eight assists off the bench to lead the Hornets, who lost a heartbreaker at home for the second straight night.
After Siakam scored to put the Pacers in front, McConnell stole the ensuing inbounds pass. Ben Sheppard made one of two free throws, giving the Hornets the ball with 8 seconds left and a chance to tie or win.
However, the play broke down, Collin Sexton's jump shot hit the front rim and the Hornets were unable to corral the rebound.
Charlotte lost 97-96 to Toronto on Wednesday night on a buzzer-beating 3 by Immanuel Quickley.
Hornets coach Charles Lee opted to not start Ball on the second night of a back-to-back, going with Sexton at point guard instead. The move was designed to help Ball manage wear and tear on his body given his history of missing games with ankle problems.
It is the first time Ball has come off the bench since Jan. 30, 2021.
Charlotte's Brandon Miller was ejected for arguing with officials with 9:49 in the third quarter. He finished with six points.
Hornets: Visit Utah on Saturday night.
Regular Season Series
IND leads series 2-0
Recent Plays
| 4th 0.0 |  |
End of Game | 114 - 112 |
| 4th 0.0 | |
End of the 4th Quarter | 114 - 112 |
| 4th 0.7 |  |
Johnny Furphy defensive rebound | 114 - 112 |
| 4th 0.7 |  |
Collin Sexton misses 17-foot step back jumpshot | 114 - 112 |
| 4th 8.0 | |
Quenton Jackson enters the game for T.J. McConnell | 114 - 112 |
Statistics
 IND |
 CHA |
|
|---|---|---|
| 41-82 | FG | 39-86 |
| 50 | Field Goal % | 45 |
| 12-27 | 3PT | 16-44 |
| 44 | Three Point % | 36 |
| 20-21 | FT | 18-24 |
| 95 | Free Throw % | 75 |
| 41 | Rebounds | 35 |
| 10 | Offensive Rebounds | 8 |
| 31 | Defensive Rebounds | 27 |
| 25 | Assists | 29 |
| 9 | Steals | 8 |
| 6 | Blocks | 3 |
| 19 | Turnovers | 16 |
| 1 | Team Turnovers | 1 |
| 20 | Total Turnovers | 17 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 2 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 2 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 23 | Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 22 |
| 9 | Fast Break Points | 14 |
| 52 | Points in Paint | 42 |
| 27 | Fouls | 22 |
| 12 | Largest Lead | 4 |
| 9 | Lead Changes | 9 |
| 77 | Percent Led | 10 |
Charlotte Hornets Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| PJ Hall, C | Out | Apr 9 |
Indiana Pacers Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Ben Sheppard, G | Out | Apr 12 |
| Jarace Walker, F | Out | Apr 12 |
| Andrew Nembhard, G | Out | Apr 11 |
| Aaron Nesmith, G | Out | Apr 11 |
| Pascal Siakam, F | Out | Apr 11 |
Game Information
Location: Charlotte, NC
Attendance: 17,342 · Capacity:
Detroit
Cleveland
Milwaukee
Chicago2025-26 Southeast Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Atlanta |
46 | 36 | .561 | - | L1 |
 Orlando |
45 | 37 | .549 | 1 | L1 |
 Charlotte |
44 | 38 | .537 | 2 | W1 |
 Miami |
43 | 39 | .524 | 3 | W2 |
 Washington |
17 | 65 | .207 | 29 | L10 |
NBA News
NBA championship and Finals MVP odds: Knicks down to 30-1 to win title; Lakers up to 25-1
The Knicks' title odds are lengthening after falling behind in their series, while the Lakers' odds are heading in the opposite direction.
Betting tips, DFS picks for Saturday's four NBA playoff games
Jim McCormick breaks down Saturday's three NBA playoff games and offers his favorite bets and DFS plays.
Quentin Richardson: LeBron showing that he's still one of the NBA's top talents
Quentin Richarson breaks down the message LeBron James is sending after his big performance for the Lakers in Game 3 vs. the Rockets.
Ime Udoka calls out Rockets after Game 3 collapse
Ime Udoka speaks to reporters about what he saw in the Rockets' late collapse to the Lakers in their Game 3 loss.
Harper scores 27 off bench, rallies Wemby-less Spurs in Game 3
Spurs rookie Dylan Harper had 27 points off the bench and teammate Stephon Castle had a game-high 33 to help the Spurs rally past the Blazers and take a 2-1 series lead.