PREVIEW: The Charlotte Hornets will travel to Indianapolis to face the Indiana Pacers at 7:00pm Eastern at Gainbridge Fieldhouse , bringing two struggling franchises together in a matchup that tells vastly different stories about their respective seasons. Charlotte enters with a 4-10 record and sits 1-6 on the road, while Indiana struggles at 1-13 with a 1-5 home mark. The Pacers' collapse has been dramatic and direct, stemming from Tyrese Haliburton's season-ending Achilles injury that occurred during last year's Finals run. Without their superstar point guard, the team has leaned heavily on Bennedict Mathurin and Pascal Siakam, though Mathurin has only appeared in three games this season and is averaging a remarkable 29 points per contest . The Hornets' offensive weapons give them a structural advantage in this Eastern Conference clash, even with their own injury complications. Kon Knueppel leads the charge with 19.3 points per game alongside 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists, while LaMelo Ball has been averaging 18.9 points over the last ten games and Miles Bridges contributes 19.9 points with solid efficiency at 43.9 percent from the field. For Indiana, Pascal Siakam remains the primary offensive engine, averaging 23.7 points with 6.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists, while Andrew Nembhard chips in 17.2 points and a team-leading 7 assists. The fundamental difference lies in execution: the Pacers rank as the league's weakest offense, barely shooting 40 percent from the field and struggling below 30 percent from three-point range.