By Peyton Wesner
INDIANAPOLIS---The boos were earspiliting for Lance Stephenson as he returned to Indianapolis for the first time since he declined the Pacers five-year, $44 million dollar contract this offseason to accept a three-year, $27 million dollar deal with the Charlotte Hornets.
The Pacers and the Hornets were both 4-7 coming into tonight's matchup at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, one in which the Indiana Pacers would win 88-86 in buzzer-beating fashion.
The Hornets have struggled this season as they have had one loss against the Knicks at MSG and another against the Lakers at Staples, which was the Lakers first win of the season. Prior to the game tonight, they were slaughtered by the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night 107-80, a game that featured the whole Mavericks starting five scoring in double digits, but tonight the game was much closer.
One word to describe the Pacers season thus far is painful. 60% of their starting five is injured (while 20% of it is on the Hornets). Paul George fractured his leg on August 1 in the Blue vs. White Team USA scrimmage while George Hill (knee) and David West (ankle) have yet to suit up this season. Currently Indiana's starting lineup consists of Donald Sloan (PG), Solomon Hill (SG), Chris Copeland (SF), Luis Scola (PF), and Roy Hibbert (C), a lineup that only started three games total last season not counting Hibbert (two for Scola and one for Sloan). Coming in on a one game win streak with their upset 99-90 win against the Chicago Bulls, the Pacers were hoping to extend the win streak to two against a struggling Charlotte club.
From the get-go, Stephenson was booed everytime he caught the ball throughout the whole game. It started off rough for Stephenson as he turned the ball over early, fueling the crowd's loudness but he later silenced it momentarily with back-to-back made jumpers pulling his team to a three point deficit at the 4:09 mark in the first quarter. By the end of the first quarter the Hornets would pull to 28-20 lead willed by bench player, Brian Roberts, who would score seven of his nine points in a three and a half minute span. The lead extended to fourteen halfway through the second quarter, giving the look that Charlotte would waltz to an easy victory. Then all of a sudden a mini scrum started on the ten year anniversary of "Malice in the Palace" giving the feeling that maybe, just maybe, the Indiana Pacers would mount an unlikely comeback. Led by Hibbert, the Pacers would lessen the lead to 49-43 at the half. With the momentum shifted, Indiana tied it up at 59 with 2:52 left in the third quarter on a Luis Scola layup. It was a new ball game.
The game would start to go back and forth from Scola's layup, as soon after, Ian Mahinmi tipped a shot in giving the Pacers their first lead at 1:36 left in the third quarter since the first quarter.
For the most part, the matchup of the game was the battle in the post between Al Jefferson and Roy Hibbert. Jefferson's success tonight came from his post moves down low while Hibbert was draining jump shots from almost everywhere outside the paint. Kemba (15 points, 7 assists) and Stephenson (10 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists) struggled from the field as they were a combined 9/27. The struggle from the two guards caused the game to be close as neither Hornet could get their shot to consistently fall.
The Pacers sped off to a six points left with seven minutes left in the game causing the Fieldhouse crowd to start rocking. The next possession for the Hornets went down low to Jefferson as he nailed a hook shot to stop the bleeding. 77-73 Pacers. Then out of no where an unlikely source of scoring emerged for Charlotte. Not Zeller, or Gerald Henderson but the ten year veteran, Jason Maxiell. Maxiell went on to provide the next six of eight Hornet points in a span of two and a half minutes tying the game up at 81 with 3:36 left. A minute later Walker nailed a three giving Charlotte a three point lead. How would the Pacers counter? With Luis Scoooollaaaaaaa! Scola caught the ball in the post and went right into Al Jefferson drawing the foul while swishing the shot. He would finish off the old-fashion three with the free throw knotting the game at 86 with 88 seconds left.
After two empty possessions the ball landed in the hands of the Hornets with 36 seconds left. Coach Clifford called a timeout to draw up a play. The thought had to be for Al Jefferson to shoot the shot right? WRONG! Marvin Williams would end up shooting the potential game winning shot but clank it, giving the Pacers the opportunity for the win. But Hibbert was taken out of the game as Coach Vogel wanted to go with a small lineup. Who would the Pacers go to for the win? The ball was inbounded to Rodney Stuckey with 18 seconds left. He stood at mid court allowing time to slowly tick off the clock. Then Stuckey started his dribble with eight seconds left. He dribbled towards the basket with his right hands and crossed over Stephenson on a step back move allowing him space to shoot the possible game winner. With three seconds left, he rose up and fired the shot over a contesting Stephenson. The shot was short but out of no where SOLOMON HILL grabbed the rebound in mid-air and put up a reverse layup for the win with a second left. The ball bounced on the rim and fell in for the win. Pacers win! Pacers win! Indiana 88, Charlotte 86.
Players of the Game
Charlotte: Al Jefferson 28 points, 8 rebounds.
Indiana: Roy Hibbert 18 points, 11 rebounds.
Next Game
Charlotte: Friday at home against 5-8 Orlando
Indiana: Saturday at home against 7-5 Phoenix
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