CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Guard George Hill hit a reverse layup with 5.1 seconds remaining, and the Indiana Pacers completed a wild comeback and stunned the Charlotte Hornets 103-102 Sunday night.
The Pacers trailed by 21 with 5:03 remaining in the third quarter, but roared back from there to win their third straight and their fifth in the last seven games.
Charlotte led 102-101 after a 3-pointer by forward Marvin Williams with 14.7 seconds left. The Pacers inbounded to Hill, who drove the baseline, pivoted under the basket, and suddenly saw a clear path to the basket.
Guard Brian Roberts then missed a desperation 3-pointer for the Hornets at the buzzer.
Guard C.J. Watson came off the bench to lead the Pacers (20-32) with 22 points, including five 3-pointers. Forward Luis Scola was also huge in the comeback, finishing with 15 points and 14 rebounds. The Pacers also got 15 points each from forward David West and guard Rodney Stuckey.
The Hornets (22-29) lost their second game in two nights, after an 89-81 loss at Philadelphia on Saturday night.
Center Al Jefferson led the Hornets with 30 points and 13 rebounds. Roberts scored 19, guard Gerald Henderson scored 13, and guard Gary Neal scored 11.
The Hornets raced to a 27-12 lead in the game’s first 10 minutes and led 56-39 at halftime. They led 76-55 with 5:03 left in the third quarter. But Indiana outscored the Hornets 20-7 the rest of the period to cut the lead to 83-75 after three quarters. The Pacers then scored the first six points of the fourth quarter and eventually tied it at 86.
West’s two free throws with 32.6 seconds remaining, and another free throw by Scola with 23.9 left gave the Pacers a 101-99 lead and set the stage for the frantic finish.
NOTES: The Hornets paid tribute to Dean Smith with a video and moment of silence before the game. Smith, who was Hornets owner Michael Jordan’s college coach at North Carolina, died Saturday night. … Hornets F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (right hamstring strain) sat out after getting injured in an 89-81 loss at Philadelphia on Saturday night. The Hornets also continue to be without G Kemba Walker (left knee surgery) and C Bismack Biyombo (right knee contusion). … The Pacers were without F Lavoy Allen (sore right knee) and C Ian Mahinmi (sprained right ankle), and have been without F Paul George (fractured right leg) all season. … This was the third meeting this season between the teams. They split the first two, each winning at home. … Hornets C Jason Maxiell picked up five fouls against Philadelphia, but the Hornets remain one of only two teams in the NBA that have not had a player foul out all season. The Hornets share that distinction with Brooklyn. … The Hornets came into the game 6-6 on the second night of back-to-backs. They will play a league-high 21 sets of back-to-backs this season. … The Pacers were starting a back-to-back set. They’ll return home to face San Antonio Monday. … The Hornets will play their final game before the All-Star break at home Tuesday against Detroit.