Pacers beat Hornets 107-85 for 3rd straight victory

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Reserve guard Aaron Holiday scored 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter in the Indiana Pacers’ 107-85 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.

Holiday was a point shy of his career high set a month ago at Brooklyn.

The Hornets rallied to cut Indiana’s lead to 70-66 entering the final quarter before Holiday and the Pacers pulled away again for their third straight victory.

Doug McDermott, a reserve guard who had not scored through three quarters, helped spark the late surge with a pair of 3-pointers. By the time Holiday hit his second 3-pointer of the game, the Pacers had a 93-75 lead with 4:54 remaining.

Pacers center Myles Turner had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Domantas Sabonis added 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Cody Zeller, a Hoosier native who typically plays well in front of family and friends, had 19 points and 12 rebounds for Charlotte. He accounted for eight of the team’s 20 points in the opening quarter.

A 19-2 run pushed the Pacers’ early advantage to 33-20 by the end of the first quarter. After missing an initial shot, Turner made four consecutive attempts, including one from beyond the arc.

TIP-INS

Hornets: Terry Rozier, who entered with a 17.1-point average, had three points on 1-of-12 shooting.

Pacers: Sabonis, in his first season as a full-time starter, had his 22nd double-double — the second-most in the NBA.

UP NEXT

Hornets: Host Sacramento on Tuesday night.

Pacers: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.