Charlotte faces Indiana on 3-game home skid

By Canadian Press on January 8, 2026.

Indiana Pacers (6-31, 15th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Charlotte Hornets (13-24, 12th in the Eastern Conference)

Charlotte, North Carolina; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Charlotte looks to break its three-game home skid with a victory over Indiana.

The Hornets are 11-17 in Eastern Conference games. Charlotte ranks sixth in the Eastern Conference in rebounding averaging 44.9 rebounds. Moussa Diabate leads the Hornets with 8.3 boards.

The Pacers are 4-19 in Eastern Conference play. Indiana is 5-15 when it wins the turnover battle and averages 13.4 turnovers per game.

The Hornets average 115.5 points per game, 4.2 fewer points than the 119.7 the Pacers allow. The Pacers’ 44.1% shooting percentage from the field this season is 4.2 percentage points lower than the Hornets have allowed to their opponents (48.3%).

The teams square off for the second time this season. The Pacers won 127-118 in the last meeting on Nov. 20. Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 24 points, and Kon Knueppel led the Hornets with 28 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Knueppel is averaging 19.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists for the Hornets. LaMelo Ball is averaging 18.9 points over the last 10 games.

Pascal Siakam is averaging 23.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Pacers. Andrew Nembhard is averaging 15.8 points and 7.9 assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Hornets: 4-6, averaging 115.5 points, 46.8 rebounds, 26.5 assists, 6.3 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 45.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.5 points per game.

Pacers: 0-10, averaging 112.1 points, 37.8 rebounds, 27.4 assists, 7.4 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 46.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 124.0 points.

INJURIES: Hornets: Mason Plumlee: out (groin), Grant Williams: out (acl), Ryan Kalkbrenner: day to day (elbow), Brandon Miller: day to day (knee).

Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin: out (thumb), Obi Toppin: out (foot), Isaiah Jackson: out (concussion), Tyrese Haliburton: out for season (achilles).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press