Pacers, Hornets look to continue winning play

If momentum carries over from one game to the next that should be a good thing for the Indiana Pacers and Charlotte Hornets.They will meet Friday night looking to extend good vibes.Charlotte snapped a three-game losing streak when Brandon Miller rebounded teammate Grant Williams’ missed shot and released the putback just before the buzzer for a 108-107 victory against the visiting Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.”I think that’s just what coach (Charles) Lee preaches every day,” Miller said. “Just being a relentless offensive rebounder.”These moments don’t come often, particularly for Charlotte, who won for the third time in eight games.Indiana has won three of its last four games. By winning their last two outings, the Pacers have a winning streak for the first time this season.There were six Indiana players with 15 or more points when defeating visiting Orlando 118-111 on Wednesday. Indiana shot 53.9 percent from the field and made 24 of 26 free-throw attempts.”This is what the NBA is now, a slugfest almost every night,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “We were able to close it down the stretch. Tyrese (Haliburton) hit the big shot. Jarace Walker earned all those minutes. He really responded great.”Walker provided a season-high 17 points after he delivered a total of 11 points in the previous five games combined.”He’s driving the ball more effectively. He shoots it well,” Carlisle said. “He’s mixing in an aggressive ‘to score’ game to go with his passing. In the NBA, you must be a threat to score for your passing to be really effective.”Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin was 13-for-14 at the foul line and accumulated 11 rebounds from his guard position.