Pascal Siakam scored 18 of his 30 points in the first half and hit the winning shot as the Indiana Pacers snapped a 13-game losing streak and gave coach Rick Carlisle his 1,000th career coaching victory in a 114-112 triumph against the host Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night.
Siakam scored on a go-ahead drive with 11.5 seconds left. He made 12 of 23 shots with three 3-pointers and also grabbed 14 rebounds.
T.J. McConnell racked up 23 points off Indiana’s bench, Aaron Nesmith supplied 16 points and Jay Huff added 10 points.
Collin Sexton’s potential tying shot was off the mark in the final second as the Hornets lost in the final seconds for the second night in a row.
LaMelo Ball had 33 points, aided by seven 3-point baskets, off the Charlotte bench.
Miles Bridges posted 19 points, Kon Knueppel had 18 points and Sexton finished with 11 points.
The Hornets trailed 109-108 with less than two minutes remaining before Knueppel made three free throws after he was fouled on a 3-point shot.
Moussa Diabate hit a free throw to extend Charlotte’s lead before McConnell’s jumper at the 51.1-second mark. Knueppel missed at the other end and the Pacers converted on Siakam’s basket.
The Hornets committed a turnover, but Ben Sheppard made only one of two free-throw attempts with eight seconds to play.
For the first time in almost six years (Jan. 30, 2021, in his rookie season), Ball was used in a reserve role. He was on the team’s pregame injury report because of ankle soreness. Sexton started in Ball’s place.
Ball scored 20 points in his first nine minutes of playing time, finishing the first half with 22 points.
Ball was the only Hornet with a double-digit point total until the final two minutes of the third quarter.
The Pacers held an 18-6 lead less than six minutes into the game, with Siakam providing eight of those points. Ball banked in a running 3-pointer following an Indiana turnover to end the first quarter, pulling Charlotte within 33-30.
The Pacers shot 52.5% in the first half, but held only a 60-58 lead at the break. Indiana had 13 first-half turnovers.
–Field Level Media
