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National Basketball Association
Indiana 110, Charlotte 94
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, December 12, 2016
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Officials: #74 Curtis Blair, #6 Tony Brown, #4 Sean Wright
Attendance: 14138

INDIANAPOLIS -- While the storyline of the Indiana Pacers' Monday night victory against Charlotte may appear to be a season-best 17 made 3-pointers, the players were more impressed with the way they defended high-scoring guard Kemba Walker and his teammates.

Paul George and Myles Turner each scored 22 points, and Indiana made 17 of 36 shots from 3-point range (47.2 percent) to pull away from the Hornets, 110-94.

Jeff Teague added 16 points and 11 assists for Indiana (13-12), which outscored the Hornets 34-21 in the fourth quarter.

Marco Belinelli had 14 to lead Charlotte (14-11), which shot a season-worst 33 percent from the field. Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams each scored 13 for the Hornets. Leading scorer Walker had 12 but made only 4 of 16 field-goal attempts, and Batum was 0 of 6 from inside the 3-point line.

"We knew this team had kicked us pretty good the past few times we've played," said Turner, who made 4 of 7 shots from 3-point range while adding a team-best seven rebounds. "Tonight, we made them make tough shots."

Rodney Stuckey scored 14 for Indiana before leaving in the fourth quarter with a left knee injury. C.J. Miles was the fifth Pacer in double figures with 11.

"Defensively, we were connected against some good guards," Indiana coach Nate McMillan said. "Along with our 3-point shooting, our effort was excellent on each side of the ball. It helped us on Saturday that we got good practice guarding a guy like Walker when we played Portland. Our ball movement tonight also was good from the beginning."

Pacers backup center Al Jefferson, who contributed six points and three rebounds, said it is evident why the Pacers pulled away.

"We played the game the right way on both ends of the court," Jefferson said.

Consecutive field goals from George and Thaddeus Young gave the Pacers a 99-90 lead with3:08 remaining, prompting a Charlotte timeout.

The Pacers opened the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run -- two field goals from Jefferson and one from Stuckey -- to open an 82-73 advantage with 10 minutes remaining.

C.J. Miles' 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the third quarter gave Indiana a 76-73 lead through 36 minutes. Charlotte led by as many as four in the third period but struggled with second-chance points.

"They started the fourth quarter on like an 8-2 or 10-2 run, and then Paul George just took over at the end, just like he did in their game Saturday night," Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said. "Our coverage on George really wasn't bad. I mean, he is a terrific player and a tough cover."

The Pacers got 10 points each from George, Turner and Stuckey during a first half after which they led, 45-43. Indiana led by as many as 10 in the first half, shooting only 40.5 percent (17 of 42), taking advantage of eight Charlotte turnovers.

Williams and Walker each had eight for the Hornets, who shot only 31.1 percent (14 of 45), including only 4 of 13 from 3-point range. Charlotte stayed close by out rebounding Indiana, 30-21.

"We just missed a lot of open shots," Batum said, "Those are shots we are used to making. This is a good team on defense, but still, we missed some open shots we need to make. We actually had the lead in the third quarter, and we have to keep it."

NOTES: Despite a left knee contusion, Charlotte leading scorer G Kemba Walker (23.3 points per game) was in the Hornets starting lineup. ... Indiana played without starting G Monta Ellis (9.7 points), who will miss four games with a sore groin suffered during the second quarter of Saturday night's victory against the Portland Trail Blazers. G/F Glenn Robinson III started in Ellis' place. ... The Hornets entered 6-4 on the road, and the Pacers came in 9-4 at home with three consecutive victories in Bankers Life Fieldhouse. ... Indiana F Paul George was coming off a season-high 37 points in Saturday's victory against the Portland Trail Blazers. ... Entering Monday's game, Charlotte beat Indiana four consecutive times with the Hornets sweeping last season's three-game series. ... Charlotte ranks second in the NBA in turnovers at only 11.8 per game. ... Indiana is second in turnovers forced per game at 16.3 per game.
Top Game Performances
 
Charlotte   Indiana
Marco Belinelli 14 Scoring Paul George 22
Kemba Walker 5 Assists Jeff Teague 11
Nicolas Batum 10 Rebounds Myles Turner 7
Marco Belinelli 5 Free Throws Made Rodney Stuckey 3
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 2 Steals Paul George 1
Cody Zeller 2 Blocks Myles Turner 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Charlotte 94 33.3 10-26 28-32 16 46 4 8 13
Indiana 110 48.9 17-36 7-10 24 42 11 4 11
Upcoming Games
  • Indiana will play their next game on the road against Miami. The Pacers have a W/L % of .250 after a win and .769 after a loss.
  • Charlotte will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Hornets have a W/L % of .571 after a win and .545 after a loss.