The Indiana Pacers defeated the Charlotte Hornets, 144-117, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Tuesday evening.

The Pacers and the Hornets collided with each team's season on the line, but the Pacers were completely dominant as soon as the game started and quickly jumped out to a 40-24 lead in the first quarter -- that'd set the tone for the rest of the game. Indiana wouldn't step the foot off the gas, though, and they won the next two quarters as well, 29-21 and 39-33, respectively, so Indiana built a huge lead with just 12 minutes left on the clock. The Hornets won the final quarter by a slim three-point margin (39-36), but that wasn't enough to mount a potential comeback. The Pacers won comfortably and now they're just one game away from reaching the postseason, while the Hornets have been eliminated.

Oshae Brissett continued his excellent run of form and led the Pacers with 23 points and five rebounds, while Domantas Sabonis registered 14 points, 21 rebounds and nine assists across 33 minutes. Doug McDermott delivered 21 points, while Malcolm Brogdon mustered 16 points and eight assists. T.J. McConnell had 17 points off the bench, while Goga Bitadze and Kelan Martin each had 14 points.

Miles Bridges led the way for the Hornets with 23 points and eight rebounds while also adding four assists. Terry Rozier had 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while LaMelo Ball posted 14 points and four dimes while shooting just 4-for-14 from the field. Cody Zeller was perfect from the field and went 7-for-7 while scoring 17 points across 28 minutes off the bench, and Malik Monk delivered 13 points.