After seceding 49 points to the Hornets in the first quarter, the Indiana Pacers fought hard but fell short in Charlotte. They’re now 29-24 on the season.
This Pacers team is known for its late-game heroics, but unfortunately, they’re just as infamous for their early-game shortcomings. Tonight in Charlotte was no different, with Indiana giving up a season-high 49 points to the Hornets in the first quarter.
As always, the Pacers fought back with valor, but on a night where both Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum were shooting out of their minds, the deficit was too big to fully overcome in the second half. Indiana had some great scoring performances themselves, but despite being advised by Dan Burke, their defense just wasn’t on it tonight.
It’s tough losing games like this. The Pacers are now 11-14 on the road, and these kind of nights should be opportunities to get that record up. You can’t lose many of these and expect to be a serious contender come playoff time. This team is still coming together, but as a grim reminder- there are only 29 games left in the season.
The Good: The Pacers had a great offensive night. Victor Oladipo had a cool 35 points, and Myles Turner put up his second straight double-double back in the starting position with his 19 points and 11 boards. It’s good to see them still able to fight back against large deficits as the wear-and-tear of the season treads on, but obviously it still wasn’t enough tonight.
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The Bad: They gave up 49 points in a quarter to the Charlotte Hornets. There’s no way to spin that- it is bad. The trend of them being unable to start strong in contests continues after tonight, and that’s definitely not a habit they want to display in April.
MVP: Oladipo and Turner both have strong cases, but it probably leans slightly Oladipo in terms of impact tonight. Overall, though, Walker was the real MVP. He refused to let the Pacers back in the game with some really tough looks that always found their way into the basket.
LVP: Tonight’s loss can really only be attributed to the defensive end, and defense is a team effort. There’s not one player that was slacking so bad that the Hornets were able to put up 49 in a quarter. They all bear the responsibility.
X-Factor: Batum is the most recent player in a long line of guys that seem to go off on the Pacers for no reason. His 31 points were just as key as Walker’s 41 in terms of preventing a late Indiana comeback.
Next: Physicality is a state of mind for Domantas Sabonis
The Pacers will have to turn around fast as they head back home to face the Philadelphia 76ers tomorrow night. The 76ers, while having played four fewer games than the Pacers, have the same amount of losses- 24. For Eastern Conference seeding, this game will be crucial.
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