Is Pacers' freaky luck starting to turn for better?

Strange things have happened to the Indiana Pacers this season, sometimes too weird for even a fictional story.

They've watched an NBA journeyman transform into a 52-point scorer one night and have sent 10 rotational players to the injury list. And how's this for freaky: The day one player returned from a left groin strain, another one left the game with the exact same injury.

However after Friday night, when George Hill made his lucky one-handed 3-pointer while getting fouled in the fourth quarter of the team's win against the Cleveland Cavaliers, some Pacers believe the strangeness may finally be on their side.

"It was just a sign from above," Damjan Rudež said, "that it was about to turn for us."

Holy Moses (Malone)! But please pardon the Pacers if they're looking skyward to the basketball oracles for guidance – that's what happens when a season produces a string of bad losses and tough breaks. Even so, after the win over Cleveland, the Pacers (19-32) stand three games out of the playoff picture. If they are to make a run for the postseason, then Hill's trick shot, that led to a four-point play, can serve as the starting line moment.

"I really believe that our best days are ahead of us," coach Frank Vogel told his players on Saturday morning. "We've had a lot of quirky, weird things thrown at us this year and hopefully that shot was kind of a sign that some of those things are going to start going our way."

While the shot looked like an answered prayer as the Pacers snapped the Cavaliers' 12-game winning streak, the second longest in franchise history, there were plenty other routine moments that can't be overlooked to explain the evening's success.

Though the Pacers have struggled this season with retaining possessions, during the win over Cleveland they committed just eight turnovers – only the fifth game of the season in which they finished with 10 or fewer. Also, Indiana, an offensively-challenged team, has scored over the 100-point mark in four of its last six games. No coincidence that those four games were all wins. Also on Friday night, every starter scored in double digits but Hill (20 points), David West (20) and C.J. Miles (26) improved the team to 4-0 when more than one player scores 20 or more points.

"There wasn't a whole lot of indecision; we took care of the basketball," West said. "(Friday) night was one of the games where I thought we were patient and we were just very decisive. If guys were open, we hit them. If there was a shot to take, guys took it. It worked out for us."

Also, just as vital as his circus shot, Hill set a career high with 12 free throws and the Pacers, who rank near the bottom in free throws attempted per game, earned 26 trips to the foul line. Hill, who has only played in 12 games this year due to injuries, continues to provide a physical presence at the point guard position that the Pacers sorely missed without him.

"He's a difference maker for us," Vogel said. "I feel like he's an improved basketball player with all the work he's put into the summer. Larry Bird talks about it; I can see it everyday. He's an improved player."

The Pacers now move on to face the seventh-seeded Charlotte Hornets, a matchup that has also produced its share of strangeness.

On Nov. 19, Solomon Hill won the game with a tip-in at the buzzer – an unusual event that worked in Indiana's favor. Then on Jan. 17, if the basketball oracles truly exist, then they must have covered their eyes during the ugly overtime loss as the Pacers scored 71 points, the fewest points scored in an overtime game of the shot-clock era.

So on Sunday, the winner will own the tiebreaker with still one more matchup (April 3) remaining on the schedule. In a potentially tight race for a lower playoff seed, the result on Sunday could factor heavily into the Pacers' chances. After witnessing the craziest shot of the season, the Pacers now like those chances.

"It changes the swagger coming into the game," Miles said. "We never were totally un-confident in what we do. I mean, definitely you see some bad breaks and guys are thinking: " Man! Again!?'

"But for him to be able to get us one like that on our home floor in a big win," Miles continued, "is definitely a momentum changer for us."

Call Star reporter Candace Buckner at (317) 444-6121. Follow her on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.

INDIANA AT CHARLOTTE

Tipoff: 6 p.m. Sunday.

TV: Fox Sports Indiana.

Radio: WFNI-1070 AM, -107.5 FM.

PACERS (19-32)

Pos. Player PPG Key stat PG George Hill 14.7 3.3 apg SG Rodney Stuckey 11.3 3.6 rpg SF C.J. Miles 12.7 2.9 rpg PF David West 13.1 7.1 rpg C Roy Hibbert 11.3 1.8 bpg 6th C.J. Watson 10.1 2.8 apg

HORNETS (22-27)

Pos. Player PPG Key stat PG Brian Roberts 7.0 2.4 apg SG Gerald Henderson 10.9 2.9 rpg SF M. Kidd-Gilchrist 10.3 7.3 rpg PF Cody Zeller 7.6 5.7 rpg C Al Jefferson 17.1 8.4 rpg 6th Lance Stephenson 9.3 5.8 rpg

STORYLINES

Zeller's time: In his second season in the NBA, former Hoosier Cody Zeller has developed into starting power forward. While Zeller only started in three games as a rookie, this year he has played with six different starting units for the Hornets for 33 games. The additional responsibility gives Zeller more opportunities like on Jan. 31 against the Denver Nuggets when he scored 21 points on 10-of-11 shots.

Off-ense: The Pacers and Hornets rank 26th and 27th in points per game, respectively. And the last time these teams met, the Hornets won 80-71 in overtime. Not much else can be said about the Pacers scoring the fewest points in an overtime game of the shot-clock era, but hopefully the team's recent outbursts (back-to-back games with 100 points or more) can carry over to Charlotte, the place where offense goes to die.

Prediction: The Pacers have lost their last two games inside Time Warner Cable, dating back to last season, while the Hornets have recently wrapped up a 10-4 month of January. Even so… Indiana wins 101-94.

— Candace Buckner