Hornets 96, Pacers 95
INDIANAPOLIS - Guard Kemba Walker's driving layup with 2.4 seconds remaining gave the Charlotte Hornets a 96-95 victory against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Indiana (31-27) had taken a 95-94 lead on a Monta Ellis runner with 16.2 seconds remaining, and the Hornets (30-27) called a timeout with 10.1 seconds to play. Walker caught the inbounds pass in the backcourt and drove right to the basket for the game-winner.
The Pacers had a final chance to win it, but forward Paul George, who led all scorers with 32 points, missed a 15-foot jumper as time expired.
It was Charlotte's second victory in Indianapolis in a 16-day period.
Forward Marvin Williams led the Hornets with 26 points, Walker scored 22 and center Cody Zeller added 14. Rookie forward Myles Turner added 15 for the Pacers, Ellis scored 14 and point guard George Hill had 10.
Charlotte was 11 of 28 from 3-point range, and Indiana was only 4 of 19.
A George Hill 3-pointer with 7:01 to play pulled the Pacers within 80-77. Indiana took an 87-85 lead on a Turner layup, but Walker's 3-pointer pushed Charlotte into an 88-87 advantage with 3:02 remaining.
Sparked by two 3-pointers from Williams, the Hornets extended their halftime lead to 65-56 with 7:07 remaining in the third quarter, prompting a Pacers' timeout. Charlotte continued to apply the pressure, pushing the advantage to 77-63 with 2:25 to go in the quarter.
Williams had a 15-point third period, and the Hornets led 77-70 with 12 minutes remaining.
George's 3-pointer from near midcourt at the second-quarter buzzer sliced the Hornets' lead to 53-50 through 24 minutes. George finished the first half with 17 points. Turner added eight first-half points for the Pacers, as did Ellis.
Williams and Zeller each had nine at halftime for the Hornets, and Walker and center Al Jefferson each added eight.
Charlotte made 19 of 41 first-half field-goal attempts (46.3 percent), and Indiana was 19 of 42 (45.2 percent). The Pacers enjoyed a 24-18 halftime rebound advantage.
NOTES: The Hornets were without F/C Spencer Hawes (sore lower back). ... The Pacers played without G/F C.J. Miles (strained left calf). ... Charlotte has won eight of its last 11 games, including a 117-95 victory on Feb. 10 in Bankers Life Fieldhouse. ... Indiana was coming off Wednesday night's 108-105 victory against the New York Knicks in Bankers Life. ... Before Friday, Pacers F Paul George ranked fourth in made 3-point field goals with 155 and 10th in NBA scoring at 23.4 points ... The Hornets came into the game ranked fourth in free throw percentage (78.9) and fourth in fewest turnovers at only 13.2 per game ... Indiana is fourth in opponents' 3-point field goal percentage (32.8) and fourth in steals per game (9.2) ... Before winning on Feb. 10 in Indianapolis, Charlotte had lost 12 consecutive regular-season games in Bankers Life ... The teams will meet in Charlotte on March 4, completing this season's three-game series.