Indiana Pacers vs. Charlotte Hornets Picks and Predictions, Thursday, January 8th, 2026
Use Code WWWC The Indiana Pacers (6-31) and the Charlotte Hornets (13-23) will tip off in a contest between two Eastern Conference teams near the bottom of the standings in this Pacers vs. Hornets prediction. These teams met in mid-November with the Pacers winning 127-118 at home. Indiana is coming off a hard fought home loss against Cleveland, where they fell 120-116 while covering the 6.5-point spread as underdogs. Charlotte will be playing their second game in two nights, as they host the Raptors on Wednesday (Note: This article was published before Wednesday's results). Tipoff is set for 7:00 EST. Keep reading to see our Pacers vs. Hornets prediction, and check out all of our winning NBA Picks
Indiana Continues Their Losing Streak
The Indiana Pacers come into this matchup in Charlotte on a 13-game losing streak, which is the longest such streak in Pacers' franchise history. They have now fallen deep into the Eastern Conference standings, sitting in last place and allowing their deficit to continue to grow. Indiana is a full five games behind the 14th place Wizards in the conference, and currently have the fewest wins in the NBA. In their last game, the Pacers got 22 points from Pascal Siakam in their loss to the Cavaliers.
Siakam has been their top player this season, and has taken over the spot left by Tyrese Haliburton who tore his Achilles tendon in last year's NBA Finals. Siakam leads the Pacers in scoring with 23.7 PPG while adding 6.6 RPG, he has scored 22 or more points in each of his last six games. The Pacers are still without their second leading scorer on the season, as Bennedict Mathurin continues to be sidelined with a thumb injury. Andrew Nembhard is still available to control the point guard spot, he is getting 17.2 PPG and 7.0 APG in Haliburton's absence.
Aaron Nesmith recently returned from injury and is scoring 14.7 PPG while being a strong defender on the wing. Johnny Furphy continues to get starts on the wing, even though the 21-year old is averaging just 4.7 PPG, and Jay Huff (8.1 PPG) has been starting at center. The Pacers are 27th in offensive efficiency and 21st in defensive efficiency according to dunksandthrees.com. Indiana plays at an average pace, ranking 15th in the league in possessions per game.
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Hornets Host a Back to Back
The Charlotte Hornets have a busy 48 hours, as they are hosting the Raptors on Tuesday night, before taking on the Pacers the following evening to complete their back to back matchup. The Hornets are 7-10 at home this season, but get the benefit on not needed to travel in-between these consecutive games. The Hornets are currently 12th in the Eastern Conference, three games behind Milwaukee in front of them for 11th. In their last game, the Hornets got 28 points from Brandon Miller in an upset win over the Thunder on the road.
Miller was a late scratch for the game against Toronto on Wednesday with a knee injury, so it is unlikely he will play here. This will put more pressure on their other scorers, including Miles Bridges who is leading the team with 20.1 PPG. Bridges scored 17 in their win over Oklahoma City, but went 0-6 from three point land as the bruising forward does most of his damage around the rim. LaMelo Ball is the face of the franchise for now, he is averaging 19.7 PPG and a team high 7.9 APG while knocking down 3.3 threes per game. Kon Knueppel is in the running for Rookie of the Year, as he is contributing 19.5 PPG and proving he is more than just an outside shooter.
Collin Sexton is their top scorer off the bench, he gets 15.1 PPG while providing energy with the second unit. They have been dealing with injuries in their frontcourt, which has led to Moussa Diabate being in the starting lineup while providing the team with 8.0 PPG and 8.2 RPG. The Hornets rank 10th in the league in offensive efficiency and 25th in defensive efficiency. They play slightly slower than Indiana, ranking 20th in the league in possessions per game.
Injury Report for Pacers vs. Hornets:
Pacers:
- Out: Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin, Isaiah Jackson, Tyrese Haliburton
Hornets:
- Out: Ryan Kalkbrenner, Grant Williams, Mason Plumlee
- Questionable: Brandon Miller
Pacers vs. Hornets Picks and Predictions
Spread pick for Pacers vs. Hornets
- Pacers +3.5 (5 units)
The Hornets are playing short handed in the frontcourt, and that problem will be exacerbated as the Hornets have to play two games in two nights. The Hornets knew they would be without Kalkbrenner and Plumlee, which was a massive hit to their interior, but the recent injury to Brandon Miller is even more worrisome, as he is one of their top scorers. Indiana comes in to this game with head coach Rick Carlisle sitting on 999 career wins, and being stuck in that spot for the past 13 games as the Pacers have been losing games. Indiana still has Siakam, Nembhard and Nesmith healthy for this game, and big man Jay Huff has been surprisingly consistent in the middle for the squad. Indiana will take advantage of a tired and beat up Hornets team, getting the cover here.
Take Indiana to cover.
Over/Under Pick for Pacers vs. Hornets
- Under 234.5 (4 units)
Each of these teams are dealing with injuries. Charlotte's injuries have been more recent, specifically Brandon Miller's who just buried seven threes in a surprising win over the Thunder. The Pacers have known about most of their injuries, with Haliburton out with his torn Achilles, and Obi Toppin only playing in three games so far this season. This hurts both of the offenses in this game, which will keep this a low scoring contest, especially with Charlotte playing their second game in two nights. The Hornets do not play fast, ranking only 20th in possessions per game, they will want to keep this game at a slow pace as they just battled the Raptors less than 24 hours ago, and will not be looking to push the tempo. Expect a low scoring game here.
Take the under.
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