The Pacers hosted the Hornets to kick off the NBA’s first ever play-in tournament last night.
As the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference the Pacers would need to beat the 10th seeded Hornets. Then beat the loser of the 7th seeded Celtics and 8th seeded Wizards to get into the playoffs as the 8th seed.
The Pacers dominated the game right from the tip. An explosive first quarter from Doug McDermott led the charge. The Pacers were up by 16 after one quarter and up 24 at the half. They expanded the lead to 30 at the end of the third quarter and were able to coast to the end of the game.
Oshae Brissett led the team in scoring with 23 and Domantas Sabonis was an assist shy of a triple-double with 14 points, 21 rebounds and 9 assists.
Pacers beat the Hornets 144-117.
It’s win and you’re in for the Pacers now. The Celtics beat the Wizards in the 7/8 matchup. So, the Pacers will head to Washington to take on the Wizards tomorrow and the winner of this game will get into the playoffs as the 8th seed and take on the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round.