Charlotte Hornets

Hornets Gameday: At Indiana Pacers

Charlotte Hornets forward Cody Zeller shoots as Miami Heat forward Luol Deng, right, looks on in Friday’s game in Charlotte.
Charlotte Hornets forward Cody Zeller shoots as Miami Heat forward Luol Deng, right, looks on in Friday’s game in Charlotte. AP

7 p.m., Bankers Life Fieldhouse

TV: Fox Sports Southeast Radio: WFNZ-AM 610.

Projected Starters

Hornets

Pacers

Pos, Player

PPG

RPG

Pos, Player

PPG

RPG

G K. Walker

20.4

4.4

G G. Hill

13.0

3.9

G N. Batum

15.0

6.5

G M. Ellis

14.0

3.1

F M. Kidd-Gilchrist

13.5

7.0

F P. George

23.3

7.1

F M. Williams

10.6

6.7

F M. Turner

9.9

5.0

C C. Zeller

8.7

6.1

C I. Mahinmi

8.4

7.0

Matchup to Watch

Paul George vs. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: George, returning from a compound fracture that cost him most of last season, has had elite statistics all season. Kidd-Gilchrist’s return from shoulder surgery has brought renewed energy to the Hornets.

Observations

▪  The Hornets got back to .500 for the first time in about a month with Monday’s dominant home victory over the Chicago Bulls.

▪  The Hornets were still ninth in the Eastern Conference Monday night, but were just a half-game behind eighth-place Detroit and two games behind sixth-place Indiana.

Tap-ins

▪  The NBA announced Tuesday that Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol will replace injured teammate Jimmy Butler as an All-Star reserve. Hornets point guard Kemba Walker would have seemingly been in consideration for that.

▪  This is the Hornets’ last game before an eight-day All-Star break. They have won four of their past five games

Did you know?

The Pacers have won 12 consecutive home games against the Hornets. Charlotte’s last win in Indianapolis was Nov. 28, 2008.

Rick Bonnell

This story was originally published February 9, 2016 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Hornets Gameday: At Indiana Pacers."

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