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Sunday, Apr. 9 12:30pm ET
Jones, Coleman, Campbell score 19 each | |||||
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 GAME FLOW
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- The low post paid off for the Charlotte Hornets Sunday, as they earned a postseason spot. Eddie Jones, Elden Campbell and Derrick Coleman each scored 19 points in the Hornets' 96-80 victory over the Eastern Conference-leading Indiana Pacers.
"We're happy to clinch a playoff berth," Charlotte coach Paul Silas said. "That was the biggest thing. Now we can concentrate on continuing to play well and trying to get home-court advantage." Anthony Mason added 18 points for the Hornets, who stopped a two-game losing streak. Campbell added 13 rebounds and Mason had 10. Jalen Rose scored 18 points for the Pacers, whose four-game winning streak ended. Dale Davis had 12 points and 14 rebounds, and Reggie Miller and Austin Croshere scored 11 points each. "With the big lineup that Indiana has, they play a lot of one-on-one," Coleman said. "Other teams are always doubling down on us in the post and forcing us to swing it around. I was happy that they did try to play us one-on-one, because we see so may double-teams throughout the year." Indiana trimmed a 19-point Charlotte lead to 79-72 with 10:01 left, before the Hornets sealed the victory with a 9-2 run that included a key 3-pointer from Baron Davis. The Hornets opened the first quarter with a 13-4 run and led 27-12 when Jones tipped in the rebound of David Wesley's jumper with 46 seconds left in the period. Indiana closed with two 3-pointers -- one by Miller and a 31-footer by Chris Mullin as time expired -- trimming Charlotte's advantage to 27-18 after one quarter. "Any time you get off to a slow start against a good team like Charlotte, it's tough to come back," Rose said. "They utilized their size and strength pretty much the way they needed to win the game. "When we play Charlotte, we have to match what they bring to the table, and that's a big, aggressive front line. You've got to be able to rebound and create opportunities on the floor and get fast breaks. We weren't able to get it done today." The baskets by Miller and Mullin were part of an 11-0 Pacers' run that narrowed the gap to 27-23 on another Mullin 3-pointer with 11:16 left in the half. The Hornets regained control with a 17-4 run that included four points each from Jones, Campbell and Eddie Robinson. Charlotte's lead grew to 57-38 on two free throws by Jones with 1:49 left, before Mullin finished the first-half scoring with a jumper. Jones and Mason scored 15 points each during the half, followed by Campbell with 13, as the Hornets shot 50 percent and outrebounded Indiana 28-17. Charlotte had a huge advantage at the free throw line, converting 21-of-25 first-half free throws to 5-of-7 for the Pacers. The Hornets maintained a comfortable advantage through most of the third quarter. Two free throws by Jones made it 75-56 with 3:52 left, but Indiana closed the quarter with an 11-2 run fueled by four points each from Rose and Croshere. Charlotte led 77-67 entering the final quarter. "I thought we had good looks early in the game, but the shots weren't going down," said Indiana coach Larry Bird. "We didn't come up with a big effort today. We can only blame ourselves for this loss. We came out passive." Game notesIn his playing days, Bird averaged close to a triple-double in seven appearances against Charlotte, with 22.3 points, 8.6 rebounds and 9.7 assists... Miller failed to reach 20 points for only the 18th time in 48 career games against the Hornets. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Indiana Clubhouse Charlotte Clubhouse RECAPS Orlando 92 Philadelphia 80
Charlotte 96
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