The positive for the Charlotte Hornets and the Indiana Pacers is that one of these struggling teams will walk away with a win after they meet Wednesday night in Indianapolis.
The negative? Indiana has lost four games in a row and Charlotte five.
Despite leading the NBA in scoring with an average of 127.4 points per game, the Pacers are just 13-12 and in danger of dipping to .500. They also give up an NBA-worst 127 points per game.
The Pacers gave up at least 37 points in every quarter in dropping a 151-127 matchup with the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.
Meanwhile, the Hornets led going into the fourth quarter before stumbling badly in a 114-99 loss at Toronto on Monday. Charlotte is 1-7 in December.
Each of these teams need a victory on Wednesday to get the momentum started.
Indiana’s latest setback dulled some of the bright spots delivered by Mathurin’s career-high 34 points.
Charlotte used its 10th different starting lineup of the season in Monday’s game, even though the team got P.J. Washington back after a two-game absence with a sore shoulder. He provided some sizzle and reached a 3-point milestone while sinking the 500th long ball of his career.
Three Charlotte rookies were on the court together for one sequence in Monday’s game. Brandon Miller is a starter, while Nick Smith Jr. and Leaky Black came off the bench.
The Hornets can’t match up in the interior with many opponents, particularly with center Mark Williams out with a back injury. They were minus-15 in rebounding in the Toronto game.
This is Charlotte’s second visit to Indiana this season. In early November, the Hornets won 125-124 behind Williams’ 27 points. For Indiana, Mathurin had only eight points in that game, though Haliburton scored 43 for a total that marks his second-largest point production of the season.
Haliburton had a season-low eight points in 31 minutes against the Clippers, so he could be eager to get back on track.
