Brandon Miller led the way with 26 points and the game clinching free throws as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Indiana Pacers, 113-109.
The Summary
The first couple of minutes looked like some YMCA basketball, especially on the Pacers side. The Hornets held a 8-0 lead after two full minutes of basketball with all eight points coming from Cody Martin and Josh Green. Neither team looked like they knew what to do, which probably should be expected when tipoff time was when most guys would be taking their afternoon nap. The game got much needed infusion of life when the benches started to mix in. TJ McConnell did his usual thing for the Pacers while DaQuan Jeffries gave a jolt to the Hornets. The Hornets led by four at quarter’s end.
The offenses stayed hot through the second quarter. Vasa Micic scored eight straight for the Hornets and 13 points total over about a four minute stretch. The Pacers had answers every step of the way. The Hornets played good defense, but the Pacers hit some tough shots. The teams combined for 73 points on 64% in what was a well played quarter all the way around. At halftime, the Hornets were hanging on to a one point lead.
The third quarter looked more like the first few minutes of the game. Micic and Brandon Miller made some early buckets, but the game devolved into a brickfest with some sloppy turnovers mixed in throughout. The Pacers had a three minute stretch without a point through the middle of the quarter, but the Hornets matched that by not scoring over the final 2:30 of the period. The only offense the Pacers got came from human sparkplug TJ McConnell during that Hornets dry spell.
The teams traded desperation shot clock buzzer beaters to start the fourth quarter. McConnell took over as the Pacers lead dog with his usual brand of goofy but unstoppable shots around the basket. The Hornets responded with a little run, but the Pacers responded with one of their own. There was a moment where Brandon Miller got a chewing out from Charles Lee heading into a timeout seemingly for disappearing into the corner after getting Haliburton switched onto him and not providing a passing outlet for Isaiah Wong with the shot clock winding down. He responded. He made a floater on his next real touch after the timeout, and those were the first two of eight points he scored down the stretch. The next two will go on the highlight reel.
YOU HEARD THE MAN, THAT'S THE STATUE OF LIBERTY đź—˝@brandmillerr | @drpepper | đź“ą @FDSN_Hornets pic.twitter.com/XB5s5GDYOk
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) December 9, 2024
He followed that with two assists in response to the Pacers throwing extra attention at him. While all of this was happening, TJ McConnell was driving straight to the basket for quick layups to stop the Hornets from closing the game.
Isaiah Wong forced the ball away from Tyrese Haliburton, and Micic dove on the floor to knock it away. It was called a foul on the floor, but a night of successful challenges by Charles Lee held true and overturned the call to give the ball to the Hornets. The Hornets didn’t do anything with the ensuing possession, but the whole ordeal did burn some clock. That proved to be vital, because the Hornets had a terrible time dealing with the Pacers defensive pressure. The Hornets elected to foul the Pacers to force them to shoot free throws when down by three. Haliburton missed the second intentionally to try to retain possession, but Miller snared the rebound. He calmly knocked down both free throws on the other end to make it a two possession game and seal the win.
The Good
The Hornets won! They snapped an eight game losing streak on the road and an eight game losing streak overall. They’ve been close in a few recent games despite all the injuries. It was good to see them get one.
Branon Miller continues his star development. He was quiet for long stretches of the game, but he stepped up when the Hornets needed him. That’s what stars do. They pick their spots, and before you know it, they have 26 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
Vasa Micic had another good game filling in as the starting point guard. He had that nice run in the second quarter and sprinkled in a few other timely baskets and nine assists as well. It’s a third straight strong game for him.
Where do the Hornets keep finding these guys. Amid all the injuries DaQuan Jeffries and Isaiah Wong have been thrust into heavy minutes. Both are dogs. They’re both pesky on defense and fearless attacking the basket when they end up with the ball in their hands. Jeffries finished with eight points, Wong with nine. Wong played the entire fourth quarter and scored seven of those points in the early minutes of that decisive frame.
The Bad
Turnovers were a problem again after being largely cleaned up in the last week or two. The Hornets finished with 25 of them, but worse than that was the timing. They committed a couple in the last minute of the game by handling Pacers full court pressure the way you’d expect an inexperienced college team to. It didn’t cost them in the end, but it made the game’s closing moments a lot more tense than they needed to be.
What’s Next
The Hornets get four full days off after the early Sunday finish. Maybe that’ll give them some time to get a little healthier. They’ll come back from the respite to visit a Bulls team that’s playing in nothing but shootouts right now.