INDIANAPOLIS _ Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford said during Monday's pregame that the key to his team's four-game win streak against the Indiana Pacers was Kemba Walker's mastery of the pick-and-roll.
Apparently the Pacers saw that, too. They double-teamed Walker on Monday, particularly in the first half, as aggressively as any team in the NBA does. With Walker cut off from the basket and his teammates, Indiana pulled off a 110-94 victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Walker scored a season-low 12 points, missing 12 of his 16 shots. It didn't help that teammates struggled offensively. Small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist missed eight of his first nine shots and power forward Frank Kaminsky started out 1 of 7.
The Pacers were terrific from 3-point range, making 17 of their 36 attempts. Paul George and Myles Turner each scored 22 for Indiana.
Marco Belinelli scored 14 off the bench for the Hornets.
The loss left the Hornets 14-11 overall and 0-2 so far in this five-game road trip. The Hornets next play the Wizards in Washington on Wednesday night. The Pacers improved to 13-12.
