Bobcats at Pacers
THE STORY: The Charlotte Bobcats can finally exhale after snapping a franchise-record 16-game losing streak Friday with a 98-91 victory in Toronto. That the win came against a team missing its leading scorer hardly mattered to the Bobcats, who own a league-worst 4-26 record. “It's just really good to get the monkey off our back,” Corey Maggette said. The Indiana Pacers were in a spiral of their own, having lost five in a row before topping visiting New Jersey on Thursday night. The Pacers have beaten Charlotte seven straight times entering Sunday’s home matchup.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, FSIN
ABOUT THE BOBCATS (4-26): Charlotte coach Paul Silas raved about the performance of rookie C Bismack Biyombo, who registered season highs with 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots vs. the Raptors. “Unbelievable. He let it all out tonight,” Silas said. “Just outstanding.” Leading scorer Gerald Henderson (hamstring) missed his seventh straight game, but rookie Kemba Walker has helped to fill the void. He scored 13 points against Toronto and is averaging 18.8 points over his last four games.
ABOUT THE PACERS (18-12): Danny Granger (ankle) returned from a one-game injury absence to score 32 points and help Indiana end its skid. It was the second 30-point effort of the season for Granger, who had been on a roll before getting injured in Tuesday’s game against Miami. He averaged 21.9 points in his previous 11. The Pacers have hit a soft spot in the schedule. Including the Nets, they are in a stretch where five of six opponents have single-digit wins.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The victory over the Raptors was the first for the Bobcats since beating Golden State on Jan. 14.
2. Indiana limited Charlotte to 28 second-half points in a 99-77 home win on Jan. 7.
3. The Bobcats also snapped a 10-game road slide to improve to 2-15 away from home.