CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Hornets had trouble containing Indiana’s interior players all game and the Pacers tossed it into Domantas Sabonis with less than four seconds remaining, allowing him to operate. Sabonis went into one of his spinning moves and tossed it up at the rim seemingly in slow motion, only to watch it carom off the side of the rim harmlessly and drop into Bridges’ hands.
After trailing by as many as 23 points and looking lethargic at times, the Hornets held on for a spirited 123-122 victory over Indiana in their season opener at Spectrum Center on Wednesday.
Here are three things we learned:
LAMELO WAS COOKING
Perhaps he was inspired by the two special visitors he had in town, seated courtside on the end of the floor directly across from the Hornets’ bench. But whatever the catalyst was, the Hornets should think about bottling it up and popping the top open rather frequently.
With his father LaVar making his first appearance in Charlotte watching alongside wife Tina, Ball single-handedly kept the Hornets within striking distance during their first-half struggles. He cracked the 30-point plateau for the third time in his career, posting 31 to go with 9 rebounds and 7 assists. The most impressive thing: He tied a career-high with 7 made 3-pointers, proving his well-chronicled stroke is reliable.
OH, THOSE INSIDE ISSUES
Fixing their problems on the interior was one of the areas the Hornets tried to address in the offseason. It was an issue all throughout last season, only to be magnified during their play-in tournament loss to Indiana.
Sabonis torched them for 14 points, 21 rebounds and 9 assists that night during their play-in tournament loss in May, and he was unconscious from the opening tip, poking holes at their defense in the paint. Sabonis posted 22 points and 7 boards through the first quarter-plus and established their game down low early, recording all but two of their initial 12 points in the paint.
He finished with 33 points and 15 rebounds, helping Indiana grab a 51-46 edge on the glass.
PLAYING IT SAFE WITH TERRY
Terry Rozier was downgraded from probable to questionable leading into the game and it was still unclear about an hour before tipoff if he would be available.
After warming up on the court, testing out his sprained left ankle with a few jumpers and some lateral movement, Rozier chatted with Borrego for a minute or so before the decision was made. Rozier sat out, replaced in the starting lineup by Kelly Oubre.
The Hornets figured it would be best not to push it with Rozier. He’s way too valuable to their success.
“Yeah it’s a long season,” Borrego said. “It’s 82 games. It’s a marathon. We are not going to win a championship overnight and one night doesn’t define our season. Tonight is not about that. It’s about the long haul. We are going to be cautious with him if he’s ready to go and I trust him. Obviously, he’s one of those battlers, warriors that wants to be out here every night. And it’s killing him not being 100%. But we’ve got to be smart with him and he’s got to be honest in his evaluation. … It’s a long season and he understands that.”
