The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Indiana Pacers, 123-122, at Spectrum Center on Wednesday night.

The Pacers (0-1) appeared to already be in midseason form throughout a first quarter in which they racked up 38 points while limiting the Hornets (1-0) to 27. Indiana stayed hot offensively during the second period as well, leading to a seemingly commanding 75-59 halftime lead. However, the dynamic of the contest changed for good during a third quarter in which the hosts enjoyed a 33-13 advantage. That set up a rollercoaster fourth quarter that Charlotte barely escaped from with victory, as a pair of P.J. Washington free throws and a Domantas Sabonis miss on an 11-foot would-be game-winning bucket conspired to give the home team a narrow win.

Sabonis did lead the Pacers with 33 points, complementing them with 15 rebounds and two assists. Malcolm Brogdon followed with a 28-point, 11-assist double-double that also included four rebounds and one block. Chris Duarte furnished 27 points, five boards, one assist and one steal. Justin Holiday delivered 11 points, seven boards and four assists, while Myles Turner tallied nine points, seven rebounds, one assist and four blocks.

LaMelo Ball paced the Hornets with 31 points, adding nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Gordon Hayward supplied 27 points, five boards, three assists and one steal. Kelly Oubre and Ish Smith generated matching 14-point contributions while recording three rebounds and five assists, respectively. Miles Bridges registered 13 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block. Cody Martin managed 10 points, six rebounds, one steal and one block. Mason Plumlee mustered eight points, 10 boards, five assists and one block in his regular-season team debut.

The Pacers remain on the road and visit the Washington Wizards on Friday night, while the Hornets travel to face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night as well.