The Pacers ran into a hot Hornets squad from the tip in Charlotte and the host never seized control of the game despite the Pacers best efforts to hang around before ultimately taking a 129-108 loss.

The Hornets lead by as many as 20 points in the first quarter, making 7 of 14 threes including a mini-heat by Sion James off the bench when he made 3 of those 7 treys. However, that young trio of Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball created the most havoc for the Pacers and will be group to contend with for a few years going forward.

Subscribe now

Of course, the Pacers will hopefully be in much better shape to face the Hornets when they renew acquaintances next season but this time playing without Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, TJ McConnell and Jarace Walker, not to mention Hali and Zu (and FURPHY!), the Pacers had little in reserve for the Hornets once the lead was established.

It appears the final week of the season will have even more firepower sidelined after Pascal Siakam emerged from Charlotte with an ankle sprain, which at this point will likely shut down his season for the final five games. Siakam has been a pro’s pro which is honestly selling him short. Incredible, considering the circumstances gets closer but even after the Pacers were waylaid early, the Pacers leader kept grinding away and finished the game with 30 points and 7 rebounds in 34 minutes on the court. Honestly, a fitting way for his season to close out.

Ben Sheppard may also be out after tweaking his hip which Carlisle mentioned after the game, setting up the possibility he may be out. Shep remains questionable heading into the Pacers game at Cleveland.

On the good news front, Jarace Walker has been upgraded to questionable so it would be nice to see him be able to play the last few games of the season. Yep, in the context of this season, that is good news for the Pacers.

Now what?

The Pacers face the Cavs on Sunday evening with as alluded to above, will be pretty thin lineup. The Cavs have been pretty healthy of late and have settled into fourth place in the East. They trail the Knicks by 1.5 games but don’t appear too interested in jumping up to third with a second round matchup against the Celtics, instead fine to face the banged up Pistons if they can get that far.

While the full lineup has played of late, the Cavs do have front court starters Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are listed as out on the injury report along with a couple of depth pieces on the wing. That may put ol’ friend Thomas Bryant in a starring role for the Cavs against his old mates in this one. Good, bad or indifferent, Thomas Bryant is always entertaining.

As for the standings, the Pacers are in a tie with the Nets with 18 wins, as the Wizards sit at 17 wins at the bottom of the league. The Kings, God bless ‘em, won again which gives the Pacers two wins to play with while maintaining a bottom three spot. The Nets and Wiz play on Sunday which will add a win to one of their totals. The Pacers and Nets still have to play each other, as well. The Wizards also have back-to-back games against the Bulls after facing the Nets.

Pacers vs. Cavaliers

Where: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH

When: Sunday, April 5, 2026 - 6:00 p.m. ET

TV: FanDuel Sports Network

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan

Odds: Pacers +16.5

Projected Starters

Pacers: Quenton Jackson, Ben Sheppard, Jarace Walker, Obi Toppin Jay Huff

Cavaliers: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Thomas Bryant

Injuries

Pacers: Obi Toppin (foot) - probable, Jarace Walker (back bruise) - questionable, Ben Sheppard (hip) - questionable, Pascal Siakam (knee) - out, Andrew Nembhard (lower back) - out, TJ McConnell (hammy) - out, Aaron Nesmith (lower back) - out, Ivica Zubac (ankle) - out, Johnny Furphy (knee) - out, Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) - out

Cavaliers: Jarrett Allen (knee) - out, Evan Mobley (calf) - out, Sam Merrill (hammy) - out, Dean Wade (ankle) - out, Jaylen Tyson (big toe) - out

Indy Cornrows with Tom Lewis

Pacers to finish roadie in Cleveland trying…