Pacers 99, Bobcats 74
C.J. Watson scored 15 of his game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter as visiting Indiana won its fifth straight game.
Watson scored all of his points from beyond the arc, breaking open a close game down the stretch as the Pacers extended their franchise-best start to 14-1. Lance Stephenson and Paul George added 15 points apiece while Roy Hibbert had 14.
Al Jefferson's 16 points paced the Bobcats, who shot just 31.3 percent for the game. Kemba Walker had 15 points while Gerald Henderson added 10.
George's 12 first-half points highlighted a defensive struggle that saw the Pacers carry a 43-38 advantage into the break. Indiana stretched the lead to double digits on a pair of Hibbert free throws just past the midway point of the third quarter, and the Pacers held Charlotte to three field goals over the final 6 1/2 minutes of the frame to lead 60-52 entering the fourth.
A Watson transition 3 pushed the edge to 11 points with 10:17 remaining, and he knocked down another long-range shot on the Pacers' next possession. His third straight 3-pointer stemmed a Charlotte mini-rally, and he put the game away with his fifth 3-pointer of the night from right in front of the Indiana bench with 6:45 left.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Charlotte shot just 4-for-22 in the opening quarter en route to a 22-11 deficit. ... Watson came into the game shooting just 20.7 percent from beyond the arc this season. ... The teams combined for a whopping 50 fouls, leading to 60 free throws.