Charlotte Hornets stars LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller scored a combined 60 points and led Charlotte to a 103-83 win over the Indiana Pacers on Friday.
With Miles Bridges, Mark Williams and Nick Richards all sidelined due to injury, the Hornets were the underdog heading into the matchup.
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From tipoff, it was clear that Charlotte had been prepared for the absence of their bigs. The Hornets played a scrambling defense and put up maximum effort for the rebounds.
Despite a strong run by Indiana and being down by 15 points, the Hornets’ stormed back into the game behind the heroics of Ball, Miller, and Tre Mann.
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The Hornets held a small lead for most of the fourth quarter before Miller and Ball went on a late-game rampage, ballooning the lead to double digits in the final six minutes of the game.
For Charlotte, Ball finished with 31 points, seven rebounds and six assists while Miller put up 29 points, six rebounds and six assists.
For the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton had a rough scoring night, finishing with six points, seven rebounds and nine assists. Pascal Siakam was Indiana’s primary scorer, finishing with 27 points, four rebounds and three assists.
The Hornets are now 4-5 and will face the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. The Pacers are also 4-5 and will play the New York Knicks on Sunday.
James Parker is an NBA writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
