Halftime Rewind: Pacers 69, Hornets 45 (Play-In Tournament)

Tuesday, May 18, 2021 at 6:30 PM ET at Bankers Life Fieldhouse

Halftime Rewind

The season’s fate is on the line tonight as the Pacers square off against the Charlotte Hornets in the inaugural Play-In Tournament game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The winner survives and takes on the loser of the Washington Wizards/Boston Celtics matchup, while the loser will be eliminated.

So far, Indiana has answered the call. Malcolm Brogdon started the game with a 3-pointer, and the squad never looked back. Indiana connected on 10 of its 20 3-point attempts to surge to a 69-45 lead at the break.

Doug McDermott has been the ultra-hot hand for Indiana, finishing the half with 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including four treys. In his first game back since his hamstring injury, Brogdon has added 13. Oshae Brissett has 10. Though he has just two points, Domantas Sabonis has 12 first-half rebounds.

It was a lightning-quick start for the Blue & Gold’s offense. The squad started 8-of-11 from the floor, including a scorching 6-of-7 from long range. Showing off his accuracy, McDermott quickly connected on three straight shots from deep. His triple from the right baseline at the 7:45 mark extended Indiana’s lead to 20-7 and finally forced a Charlotte Hornets timeout.

Despite the stoppage, the three ball continued to be the Pacers’ best friend as they controlled a double-digit lead through the halfway point. On Indiana’s first possession, McDermott fired in his fourth consecutive trey. At the 4:43 mark, Brissett knocked in a triple — his second — from the left side to earn a 28-14 Indiana lead.

The Blue & Gold closed out the frame strong. T.J. McConnell added a pair of buckets, including a steal-and-finish with 13.7 seconds to go. Edmond Sumner’s 15-foot floater at the buzzer helped the Pacers hit the 40-point total. They headed to the second with a 16-point advantage. They finished the period on 15-for-25 (60.0 percent) shooting — 7-of-14 (50.0 percent) from downtown.

Indiana appeared on its way to a blowout, starting the second with five straight points to stretch its lead to 45-24. However, Charlotte responded with six unanswered to show a bit of fight.

But the Pacers were not phased. Consecutive layups from McConnell and Kelan Martin pushed the squad’s advantage back up to 19 with 8:35 to play.

Although they cooled off, Indiana continued to hold a substantial lead over the next few minutes. Charlotte attempted a rally, using a powerful slam from Miles Bridges and a Malik Monk trey to chip into the lead. However, with 4:34 to play, Brogdon responded with a crafty three-point play in the paint, finishing a layup over his right shoulder to give the Blue & Gold a 55-37 lead.

In the final minutes, the Pacers then sliced up the Hornets’ interior for several easy layups in the paint. Brissett and McDermott were the primary recipients, while Brogdon and Justin Holiday sprinkled in threes to give Indiana the 24-point advantage at the break.

Tickets

Tickets for Tuesday’s Play-In game against Charlotte will go on sale on Monday, May 17 at 4:00 PM ET. Single Game Tickets »   Health & Safety Guidelines »

Broadcast Information TV & Radio Listings »

TV: TNT – Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Greg Anthony (analyst)Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)Please Note: Inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Pacers radio broadcasts can be heard on 1080 AM instead of 1070.