Indiana Pacers (6-6, eighth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Charlotte Hornets (4-11, 14th in the Eastern Conference)
Charlotte, North Carolina; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Charlotte plays Indiana looking to end its four-game home slide.
The Hornets have gone 2-7 against Eastern Conference teams. Charlotte is 2-6 in games decided by 10 points or more.
The Pacers are 5-4 against Eastern Conference opponents. Indiana has a 2-2 record in games decided by at least 10 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Kelly Oubre Jr. is averaging 18.3 points and 1.5 steals for the Hornets. P.J. Washington is averaging 14.5 points over the last 10 games for Charlotte.
Tyrese Haliburton is scoring 20.5 points per game with 4.8 rebounds and 10.3 assists for the Pacers. Bennedict Mathurin is averaging 19.9 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 45.6% over the last 10 games for Indiana.
LAST 10 GAMES: Hornets: 2-8, averaging 104.3 points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks per game while shooting % from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.9 points per game.
Pacers: 6-4, averaging 116.7 points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks per game while shooting % from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.5 points.
INJURIES: Hornets: Gordon Hayward: day to day (shoulder), Cody Martin: out (quad), Dennis Smith Jr.: day to day (ankle).
Pacers: Daniel Theis: out (knee), Chris Duarte: out (ankle).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
GAME LINES
PICK: CHA HORNETS ML -141
ANALYSIS: Two struggling teams here, so it’s hard to lean toward either side confidently. However, the Charlotte Hornets are at least at home and the return of LaMelo Ball does wonders for the team overall. We’ll see what the Hornets are truly with Ball on the court. I’ll lay the bucket with Charlotte.