Pacers-Hornets 2: Electric Boogaloo

The Indiana Pacers face off against the Charlotte Hornets once again Friday night, with hopes of extending their current win streak to three games. The Pacers (11-7) currently sit in third place in the Eastern Conference, just 1.5 games behind the Philadelphia 76ers in the fight for first, while the Hornets (7-11) look to break a two-game losing skid.

Indiana won the first round of this matchup 116-106 on Wednesday night thanks to strong performances from Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon and Doug McDermott. The Pacers also did a solid job on the defensive end, holding the Hornets to a measly 41.1% shooting while also blocking nine shots and forcing 11 turnovers.

McDermott had his best game of the season against Charlotte, scoring 28 points to give Indiana a spark off the bench. Whether he finds himself in the starting lineup or coming off the bench, McDermott has quietly blossomed into a stabilizing presence for Indiana in the absence of T.J. Warren, who is sidelined indefinitely while recovering from foot surgery. The Creighton product is averaging career-highs in minutes (25.8), points (13.1), field goal attempts (9.9), field goal percentage (49.7%), rebounds (3.8) and assists (1.3).

Pacers fans will want to watch how the rotational minutes work out at the small forward position, as McDermott and Jeremy Lamb continue to split the workload with Warren sidelined indefinitely. Lamb continues to work himself back into playing shape after recently returning from the injury report himself, earning his first start of the season Wednesday night against his former team.

On the other side, Indiana fans will surely keep an eye out for Brownsburg native and former Butler star Gordon Hayward. Before signing with Charlotte as a free agent this offseason, there was a lot of buzz that Hayward would end up playing for the Pacers, but a sign-and-trade deal between Indiana and the Boston Celtics never came to fruition, and he ended up signing a massive 4-year, $120 million deal with Charlotte instead.

Hayward is also having a career year this season, averaging a career-high 23.6 points a night while knocking down 51% of his shots and snagging 5.2 rebounds. Despite the hot start, the Pacers held Hayward to just 16 points on Wednesday, and keeping the hot shooter contained once again will be an important task in the Pacers' search for another victory over the Hornets.