Pacers 81, Hornets 75: David West scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half as visiting Indiana roared back from a 22-point deficit to hand New Orleans its 11th consecutive loss.
Paul George had his third double-double in four games with 17 points and 12 rebounds as the Pacers extended their winning streak to three with their sixth victory in seven games.
Robin Lopez scored a season-high 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the beleaguered Hornets, who matched their longest losing streak in eight years (Nov. 23-Dec. 14, 2004).
New Orleans appeared certain to break the skid, taking control early in the second period as Lopez scored seven points in a 9-0 run to make it 30-15. The Hornets stretched the lead to as many as 22 points before going into the half ahead 46-29.
Indiana stormed back in the third, limiting New Orleans to only seven points – a season low for any quarter – and getting 12 from West to pull into a 53-53 tie. A three-point play by Lopez put the Hornets ahead 70-65 with 3:55 to play, but West scored six points in a 10-0 spurt for a 75-70 lead with 1:25 to play.
GAME NOTEBOOK: West, who played eight seasons with New Orleans, went over 10,000 career points in the third quarter. … Hornets G Eric Gordon, who has yet to play this season while rehabbing his knee, has been cleared for full-contact practices. Gordon has played in only nine of 93 games since he came to New Orleans from the Los Angeles Clippers in the Chris Paul trade. … Pacers swingman Gerald Green sat out after spraining his left ankle in Friday’s win at Cleveland. He had scored 35 points in his last two games off the bench.
