PACERS

Pacers down Hornets 88-79 in preseason finale

Candace Buckner
candace.buckner@indystar.com
Power forward Luis Scola had 13 points in the first quarter Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014, as the Indiana Pacers closed out their exhibition season by beating the Hornets at Charlotte, N.C.

CHARLOTTE — The Indiana Pacers held on for an 88-79 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday. Between the teams, nine players sat out with injuries, including George Hill for the Pacers and Lance Stephenson for the Hornets.

Here's how the remaining healthy players survived the final game of the preseason.

First quarter: Pacers 28-18.

• Notable: Even without their top two point guards, George Hill and C.J. Watson, the Pacers moved the ball as efficiently as they had all preseason. The Pacers made 12 field goals on 10 assists against only two turnovers. While five players chipped in on the total, the third point guard Donald Sloan dished out five assists.

No other player enjoyed the sharing more than power forward Luis Scola, who was assisted on all six of his field goals. Even more, it only took one quarter for Scola to surpass his preseason high total of 10 points. He scored 13 points in 12 minutes of play.

Second quarter: Pacers 54-35,

Notable: While Scola owned the first quarter, shooting guard CJ Miles took over the second. Saddled wityh early fouls, Miles played only a little more than two minutes in the opening frame. However, the rest turned out favorably as Miles anchored the second unit with 14 points on near-perfect shooting. Miles made all three of his 3-point attempts and drained 5-of-6 overall shots.

Much like Sloan, Lavoy Allen has made the most of his preseason appearances and in this quarter, he pulled down four rebounds and blocked a shot. As the Hornets could not hit from the outside — all seven 3-point attempts were missed — the Pacers jumped ahead by 22.

Third quarter: Pacers 70-56.

• Notable: Among the Pacers' core, the five players who started Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals before the end of the 2013-14 season, only Roy Hibbert appeared on the court in Charlotte for this last preseason game. By the end of the third quarter, he had 10 points, six rebounds and a blocked shot.

Though he made just two shots in the quarter, Hibbert had positive moments. Near the 7-minute mark, Al Jefferson blocked Hibbert's little 6-foot jumper but just before the expiration of the shot clock, Hibbert showed the second effort and flipped in a hook from nine feet away.

The Hornets cut the lead to 11 points behind the trio of Jefferson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Brian Roberts who combined for 16 of the team's 21 points.

Fourth quarter: Pacers 88-79.

• Notable: While shorthanded, the Hornets never stopped playing. Even after Gary Neal, who started at shooting guard, got ejected less than a minute into the quarter, Charlotte continued to chip away. The Hornets outscored the Pacers 17-5 at the start of the quarter and when rookie P.J. Hairston knocked down a transition 3-pointer, he pulled Charlotte to within 75-73.

Hairston was a difference maker, scoring all 11 of his points in the fourth quarter. However, after Hairston's 3-pointer, the Pacers' starting five reunited with about five minutes remaining and restored order.

Indiana scored four straight and when Solomon Hill drained a baseline jump shot while drawing a foul against Hairston to complete a 3-point play, the Pacers extended the lead to 81-75 and held on for the win. Scola finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds, but even better news for the Pacers: no injuries.

Follow Star reporter Candace Buckner on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.