Charlotte @ Indiana preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 8, 2018 ) Indiana 123, Charlotte 117

The Indiana Pacers are finishing the regular season on a roll and look to post their eighth victory in the past 10 games when they host the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday. Indiana posted a 123-117 victory over the Hornets on Sunday in the front end of the back-to-back that concludes the regular season for both teams.

The Pacers recorded 70 first-half points in Sunday's victory in an effort in which the bench (72 points) outscored the starters (51). "Even though we won, I thought that we were flat for most of this game," Indiana coach Nate McMillan told reporters afterward. "We found a way to get some energy. I thought the bench came in and gave us a lot of energy and played well to help us get this win." The Hornets will miss the postseason for the second straight season and the club announced Sunday that former Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has been hired to a similar position overseeing the franchise's day-to-day operations. "He's a proven winner," Charlotte chairman Michael Jordan said in a press release. "Having won championships as both a player and an executive, we have confidence that Mitch is the right person to lead our basketball operations, build a winning culture and bring sustained success to our organization, for our fans and for the city of Charlotte."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Southeast Carolinas (Charlotte), FS Indiana

ABOUT THE HORNETS (35-46): Backup shooting guard Malik Monk is suddenly on a roll after scoring 22 points against the Pacers for his third consecutive 20-point outing. Monk, a first-round draft pick last June, is averaging 23 points during the stretch while making 12-of-27 3-pointers and he said he made the most of his bench-sitting time by observing All-Star teammate Kemba Walker. "I've been watching Kemba a lot when I was sitting on the bench so I've been learning everything he's been doing and I've been trying to do that when I stepped on the court," Monk told reporters.

ABOUT THE PACERS (48-33): Second-year forward Domantas Sabonis was the biggest hero of the bench players on Sunday as he recorded a career-best 30 points on 13-of-21 shooting and also collected eight rebounds and three steals. Sabonis was acquired along with standout guard Victor Oladipo in the offseason trade that sent Paul George to Oklahoma City and the 21-year-old is enjoying a solid campaign with averages of 11.7 points and 7.7 rebounds. "I love it here," Sabonis told reporters. "It's a great system. We have a great group of guys who believe in it and we all want to win so that's been working for us."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Pacers are 2-1 against the Hornets this season, but Charlotte won the previous matchup in Indianapolis, 105-96 on Jan. 29.

2. Oladipo scored 27 points on 12-of-15 shooting in Sunday's win after having a season-low five points on 2-of-9 shooting two nights earlier against the Toronto Raptors.

3. Walker scored just 12 points in Sunday's game and is averaging 10.2 on 16-of-45 shooting over the past five games.

PREDICTION: Pacers 114, Hornets 106