Kemba Walker was good but not great Wednesday night, yet the rest of the Charlotte Hornets responded with one of their best performances of the season in a 127-109 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers.
Walker, the NBA's leading scorer at 29.6 points per game, finished with 16 points and 11 assists for his first double-double of the season, sitting out the entire fourth quarter after the Hornets led by as many as 26.
The veteran guard had erupted for 60 points against the Philadelphia 76ers and 43 against the Boston Celtics in his previous two games. Walker took just 10 field-goal attempts against the Pacers, making half of them.
Jeremy Lamb led the Hornets with 21 points, including five 3-pointers on a night when Charlotte hit 18 triples, two shy of a franchise record. The hosts shot 62.1 percent from beyond the arc, 18 of 29.
The Hornets also got 18 points from Dwayne Bacon, 15 from Cody Zeller, 15 from Malik Monk, and 11 each from Nicolas Batum and Frank Kaminsky. Charlotte shot 56.3 percent from the field while winning its second game in a row.
The Hornets were without Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (ankle) and Willy Hernangomez (ankle), and they lost Marvin Williams to a facial injury in the third quarter.
The Pacers were without their leading scorer, Victor Oladipo (knee), for the second straight game.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 20 points to lead the Pacers, who saw a three-game winning streak end. Thaddeus Young added 16 points, Domantas Sabonis and Doug McDermott scored 15 each, Tyreke Evans 12, Aaron Holiday 11 and Myles Turner 10.
Charlotte outscored Indiana in each of the opening three quarters, leading 35-30 after the first, 68-60 at halftime and 105-84 after three.
The Pacers will return home to face San Antonio on Friday night. The Hornets, who were closing out a three-game homestand, will play at Oklahoma City on Friday night.
--Field Level Media
Indiana | Charlotte | |
Bojan Bogdanovic 20 | Scoring | Jeremy Lamb 21 |
Cory Joseph 7 | Assists | Kemba Walker 11 |
Myles Turner 7 | Rebounds | Jeremy Lamb 7 |
Aaron Holiday 6 | Free Throws Made | Malik Monk 4 |
Cory Joseph 2 | Steals | Marvin Williams 3 |
Myles Turner 4 | Blocks | Miles Bridges 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Indiana | 109 | 48.8 | 11-33 | 16-17 | 26 | 37 | 7 | 5 | 14 |
Charlotte | 127 | 56.2 | 18-29 | 19-22 | 30 | 36 | 3 | 7 | 12 |