Tonight’s Game — 7:00 p.m. ET – Indiana (-4) at Charlotte O/U: 221
| Teams | Spread | Money Line | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana Pacers | -4 (-111) | -170 | O 221½ (-115) |
| Charlotte Hornets | +4 (-109) | +150 | U 221½ (-105) |
Ball will be back in action tonight when the Hornets take on the Packers. The 11-7 Pacers spent the week in Charlotte as they are set to play their second straight game at the Spectrum Center against the 7-11 Hornets. The two teams met on Wednesday, when the Pacers prevailed 116-106. Indiana jumped out to a 17-point lead at the end of the first quarter and never trailed again the rest of the game, although the Hornets, as in most of their games this season, played hard and kept the score close for much of the rest of the way after clawing back in it.
Indiana’s Doug McDermott led all scorers with 28 points off the bench. Charlotte’s leading scorer was guard Terry Rozier, who scored 20 points. Ball came off the Hornets bench to contribute eight points, four rebounds, and five assists in 22 minutes – but his plus/minus stat for his time on the court was a team-worst -24.
With the departure of Victor Oladipo, Indiana has been led this season by guard Malcolm Brodgdon. Picked up in the offseason via a sign-and-trade deal with Milwaukee, Brodgon leads the Pacers in points and assists with 22.8 and 7.1, respectively. Brogdon had 25 points and six assists in Wednesday’s victory.
Charlotte has been led by its own offseason acquisition in Gordon Hayward, who averages a team-high 23.6 points per game. Ball also has injected a spark of energy into the Hornets, albeit currently with the second unit. The Hornets frankly will need more from him than they got in the previous matchup vs. the Pacers.
This season, Indiana and Charlotte have played the same opponent in back-to-back games three times each. The Over is a combined 5-1 in the second leg of those back-to-backs. Tonight’s Over/Under actually is smaller than Wednesday’s that went Over.
The Hornets have struggled at home this season, where they are 3-5 both straight up and against the spread. Charlotte is 7-5 overall against the spread as an underdog this season and this one offers up a fantastic chance to make it 8-5. Take Charlotte with the 4 points along with the Over of 221½, in a contest that should be back and forth and close the entire night.
