In Buzz City, two Eastern Conference teams on the outside of the playoff picture take the court looking for a win. Monday night, the Indiana Pacers are traveling to Charlotte to play the Charlotte Hornets.
Updating the Indiana Pacers and the Charlotte Hornets Injury for Monday’s match
Philadelphia beat Indiana at home, 141-121, on Saturday night. As a 4.5-point underdog, Indiana did not cover the spread.
In their last game, Charlotte was blown out by Philadelphia 121-82 at home on Friday night. As a 10.5-point underdog, Charlotte did not cover the spread.
THE PACERS REPORT
Philadelphia beat Indiana at home Saturday night, making it the second time in three games that Indiana has lost.
The Pacers were in fourth place in the Central Division on Sunday. They were 18.5 games behind the Bucks, who were in first place. They were 11th in the Eastern Conference standings, 18.5 games behind Milwaukee for first place, 7.5 games behind the Nets for the last guaranteed playoff spot, and 1.5 games behind the Bulls for the last spot in the play-in tournament.
In the first four minutes of the game against Philadelphia, Indiana was up 12-4. The rest of the quarter, however, Philadelphia outscored Indiana 30-12, so Indiana was behind by 10 points after the first quarter.
At halftime, the Pacers were 11 points behind, and they never got closer than 5 points before Philadelphia pulled away.
Indiana shot 51.7% from the field, including 12 of 31 from three-point range. They also won the battle for rebounds, 41-30, but the 76ers shot 61.4% and beat them badly.
Aaron Nesmith had 25 points and six boards to lead the Pacers in their loss.
Duarte has missed the last two games because of an ankle injury, and Haliburton has missed the last four because of a knee injury. Haliburton last played on March 9 against the Rockets.
Mathurin hasn’t played since March 9 when he hurt his ankle against the Rockets. He hasn’t played in the last four games, and there is no timetable for his return. Watch for any new information that could give you a hint about their respective situations.
Let’s go ahead and examine the injury list to see who won’t be able to play in Monday’s game.
| PLAYER | INJURY |
STATUS
|
| Chris Duarte | Ankle |
Game Time Decision
|
| Bennedict Mathurin | Ankle |
Game Time Decision
|
| Isaiah Jackson | Knee |
Game Time Decision
|
| Tyrese Haliburton | Knee |
Expected to be out until at least Mar 22
|
| Kendall Brown | Lower Leg |
Out for the season
|
THE HORNERS REPORT
Charlotte has lost four games in a row. In their last game, the 76ers beat them badly at home on Friday night.
The Hornets had a record of 22-50 going into Sunday. They were in last place in the Southeast Division, 16 games behind the Heat, who were in first place. They were 14th in the standings for the Eastern Conference and can no longer make the playoffs.
Charlotte was two points behind Philadelphia after the first quarter and one point behind halfway through the second before the 76ers showed their strength and pulled away to a 12-point lead at halftime.
The Hornets started the second half by giving up a 16-2 run, which turned the game into a rout. Charlotte could only make 33.7% of its shots from the field, including a terrible 5 of 35 from three-point range. They also lost the battle on the boards 62-35. Terry Rozier’s 14 points were the most for the Hornets in their loss.
With 111.2 points per game, the Hornets are 27th in the league in scoring offense this season. Charlotte is eighth in the league in terms of rebounds, with 44.7 per game, and 18th in terms of assists, with 24.9 per game. The Hornets allow an average of 117.5 points per game, which ranks them 24th in scoring defense.
Charlotte shoots 45.5% of their field goals as a team, which is 29th in the league. The Hornets are 28th in three-pointers made per game with 10.6 and 30th in three-point field goal percentage with 32.7%.
Martin will not play against the Pacers on Monday because he hurt his knee.
Due to pain in his left knee, Martin hasn’t played since December 14. Since the Hornets aren’t going to make the playoffs, the fourth-year forward might not play for the rest of the season.
Ball hurt his ankle on February 27 against the Pistons, and it is likely that he will not play again this season.
Since January 4, Bouknight has only played one game because of an ankle injury. He has missed the last 22 games.
Since he hurt his thumb on March 9 against the Pistons, Williams has missed four games. Keep an eye out for any new information about their situations.
