Lance Stephenson returned to his old stomping grounds. He came back to the place where he blew into LeBron’s ear, the land where Larry Bird had his full support and the stadium that was supposed to be where Lance, Paul George, David West and Roy Hibbert were supposed to be the next big thing in the East.
Now Paul George is out for the year, David West can’t seem to get healthy, Roy Hibbert is the lone leader for the Pacers and Lance Stephenson dropped the yellow racing stripes for the blue jersey with a Jordan logo supporting his new team, the Charlotte Hornets.
Stephenson was showered by a mix of boos and cheers from the Indiana faithful to start but every time he touched the ball, the boo birds came out and this game didn’t disappoint at all for the Pacers fans at the end.
Solomon Hill put back a miss by Rodney Stuckey as time expired, and the Indiana Pacers ruined Stephenson’s first trip back to Indy and overcame an early 18-point deficit to beat the Charlotte Hornets 88-86.
Four Pacers finished in double figures. Roy Hibbert had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Luis Scola put up 15 points and 7 rebounds for Indy. Donald Sloan had 11 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Rodney Stuckey scored 11 points off the bench for the Pacers.
Stephenson had 10 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists as he still struggles to score early on this season. Al Jefferson added 28 points with 8 boards. Kemba Walker was the only other member of the Hornets to score in double figures with 12 points, he also had 7 assists. Cody Zeller, former Indiana Hoosier, also had a homecoming but only managed to put up 7 points off the bench.
Charlotte Hornets are 5-8. Indiana Pacers are 4-7.
Full Game Highlights
https://youtu.be/x3Db0WTLIyU
