T.J. Warren's second half offensive explosion lifts Pacers to 115-104 win over Hornets

With the Hornets, now, having more wins on the road than at home, it appears that the biggest question for head coach James Borrego is not who to put into the lineup to create his magic formula but how to motivate his squad on the home front. Statistically, NBA teams playing at home win around 60 percent of their regular season games. The Hornets, however, continue to struggle when playing in Charlotte.

The struggle continued on Monday night at the Spectrum Center when the Hornets took the court for what they hoped would be their third-straight win. But the Pacers had different plans and defeated the Hornets 115-104. The loss dropped Charlotte to 15-24 (7-12 at home) on the season. “I think overall it was Indiana’s physicality mentality," Borrego said.

"We had turnovers by some of our experienced veteran guys and guys that have been playing well but we were just too casual in the second half.”

Terry Rozier and Devonte Graham had fairly prolific performances finishing with 28 points 22 points respectively. Graham also added six assists and was pinnacle in the team's late game rally. However, it was not enough to hold off the Pacers' scoring machine.

Despite holding the Pacers to 15 points in the second quarter, the fewest second quarter points allowed by Charlotte this season, T.J. Warren was unstoppable later in the game. He was the biggest factor in the Pacers' win. Warren scored 36 points with 30 of them coming in the second half.

Pacers' Forward Domantas Sabonis added 18 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists to help Indiana improve to 23-14 - 8-10 on the road. Even former Hornets guard Jeremy Lamb garnered 11 points and 10 rebounds as he faced his former team.

OBSERVATIONS:

PTS in the paint: Pacers 66 Hornets 46

Rebounds: Pacers 43 Hornets 38

FG%: Pacers 52.8 Hornets 45.7

NEXT GAME

Hornets vs. Raptors

Wednesday January 8, 2020

7 PM ET