2 Studs, 1 dud from Indiana Pacers bounce-back win over Charlotte Hornets
By Jack Simone
Following a four-game regular season losing streak, as well as an In-Season Tournament finals loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Indiana Pacers bounced back in a big way on Wednesday night.
The Pacers picked up a blowout win over the Charlotte Hornets, taking down the buzz city guys by a score of 144-113, once again showing why they’re one of the best offenses in the league.
Indiana was free-falling down the Eastern Conference standings for a while, but a win over the Hornets has stabilized them a bit, though they now have some ground to make up.
Let’s take a look at two studs and one dud from the Pacers’ big-time win over the Hornets on Wednesday night.
Stud - Jalen Smith
Buddy Hield deserves a shout for this stud spot, as he snapped out of his shooting slump and exploded for 25 points against Charlotte. Bruce Brown, Aaron Nesmith, and Bennedict Mathurin all also played well.
However, despite him only playing 7:58 against the Hornets, we’re going to give Jalen Smith the first spot on the studs list for balling out in his return to action after missing nearly a month.
Smith didn’t miss a beat. He finished the game with 10 points and four rebounds while shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from the field and 2-of-2 from behind the three-point line.
Before he went down with an injury, Smith was one of the best stories on the Pacers, as he was putting up career numbers. It’s great to see that he’s still in top form despite missing significant time.