Pacers score 71 in OT loss, fewest in shot clock era

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – After three consecutive bad losses, the Indiana Pacers topped them all Saturday night with an ugly one for the ages.

The Charlotte Hornets could barely find offensive rhythm and for good reason -- they were missing their two top scorers.

The Pacers, already half a season into this new normal of strangeness, just missed. Everything. Floaters. Runners. Layups. Three-pointers. Name it and the Pacers found a chance to blow the shot.

Not even an extra five minutes in the game could salvage one of the feeblest offensive performances in NBA history as the Hornets defeated the Pacers 80-71 in overtime.

The 71 points scored by the Pacers (15-27) through regulation and overtime set a new low for the fewest points by a team in the shot-clock era, according to Elias Sports. And the 71 points through 53 minutes of game action was actually better than what could have been -- the Pacers nearly did not score in overtime, save for a banked-in 3-pointer from C.J. Watson with 29.7 seconds remaining.

As a team, Indiana missed 54-of-84 shots (35.7 percent) and that statistic would be lower had it not been for David West (9-of-17) and Roy Hibbert (6-of-13) providing the bulk of the offense. It's by no coincidence that West (19 points) and Hibbert (12 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks) stand as the remnants of the five-man core from last year. However, even with the pair, the Pacers performed as poorly as they have all season.

"I've got to do more," Hibbert said, then again fell on the sword. "Gotta do more. I mean, this was tough. Going into overtime, that's when we've been the most pumped. We started off with a couple of turnovers and an easy bucket for them and got down pretty quickly."

Littering the Time Warner Cable Arena floor with 19 turnovers, and two in the overtime, the Pacers made it more difficult on themselves to kick-start offensive execution. If they weren't giving away possessions, they were discovering different ways to clank, or completely miss, the rim.

While trailing 68-66 in the final minute of regulation -- yes, 47 minutes of actual NBA action had transpired and neither team could surpass the 70 mark -- C.J. Miles tried to loft in a shot from five feet out and missed. When the Pacers secured the offensive rebound, he then blew a chance at instant redemption by sending a 3-pointer wide left. Later, the Pacers did tie the score on a pair of Rodney Stuckey free throws that forced overtime.

"I'm definitely not helping," said Miles who missed 11 of his 13 attempts. "I actually knew it was off. It came off my hand and it slipped off, I knew the second it left my hand, it was going left.

"I knew I botched it."

As a team, the Pacers botched an opportunity to take advantage of a weakened opponent.

Seemingly, Indiana on the second night of a back-to-back caught a break with the news that Hornets point guard Kemba Walker, who had scored at least 28 points in the six previous games, would sit out with knee inflammation. Also, power forward Al Jefferson (averaging 18.2 points) looked dapper on the sideline because he was still out with a groin injury. Without their two best players, it could've been assumed the Hornets would struggle.



Even former Pacer Lance Stephenson, only recently reactivated after missing 14 straight games, would only be able to do so much since coach Steve Clifford wanted him on a minutes restriction. However, Stephenson played nearly 20 minutes and scored 13 points while Gerald Henderson, who scored half of his game-high 20 points through the fourth quarter and overtime, kicked off the extra period with a three-point play and provided just enough offense in the midst of their team's crummy shooting night (30.7 percent).

"We defended at a high level," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "We have to figure out the offensive end."

While searching for some answers, Vogel benched his starting backcourt with 3:43 remaining in overtime, replacing Watson and Rodney Stuckey with Donald Sloan and Damjan Rudež. However, the possession that Watson lost just before being pulled was immediately matched by Sloan the next time the Pacers tried to run a play.

The Pacers have four more games on the current trip, but they'll come in a rush; not exactly the best thing for a team that needs to slow down and figure things out.

"We're not able to execute and do the things we're supposed to do down the stretch," West said. "Be solid and just make shots, be confident and not turn the ball over."

Follow Star reporter Candace Buckner on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.