Bobcats at Pacers
The Indiana Pacers look to avoid a hangover from a huge victory when they host the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday. The Pacers are going through their roughest patch thus far, having lost two of their last five, but their 90-84 win over Miami on Tuesday further established them as the top Eastern Conference challenger to the Heat. The Bobcats have lost four straight against the Pacers overall and seven in a row at Indiana.
The dominance at home is not limited to any one opponent, as Indiana is 10-0 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and allows just 82 points per game at home. "We're not going to let up," Pacers forward David West told the team's website. "We're just going to continue doing what we're doing. I don't think peaking too soon is going to be part of the conversation with this group." The Bobcats had their two-game winning streak snapped with a 92-83 home loss to Orlando on Wednesday and are looking to even their road record at 5-5.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Charlotte), FSN Indiana
ABOUT THE BOBCATS (10-12): At two games under .500, Charlotte is right in the thick of the playoff race in the muddled and mediocre Eastern Conference. The Bobcats are shorthanded in the frontcourt with second-year forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (broken hand) out at least two more weeks and center Bismack Biyombo nursing a sprained ankle. The injuries have given first-round draft pick Cody Zeller a chance to play more, and the former Indiana standout tallied 10 points and six rebounds in 15 minutes against Orlando.
ABOUT THE PACERS (19-3): Indiana's success is built on balanced scoring - all five starters average in double digits - and tenacious defense. As if the Pacers weren't tough enough, they are close to getting forward Danny Granger back from a calf strain that has sidelined him for two months. Granger averages 18.1 points for his career but missed all but five games last season and hasn't played yet this year.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pacers (9.8) and Bobcats (10) rank first and second in the league in opponents' fast-break points.
2. Charlotte has allowed 100 or more points only four times in 22 games while Indiana has given up triple digits only five times in 22 contests.
3. Indiana is 10-2 in games in which it has trailed at halftime.