hornets 115, nets 98

LaMelo Ball had 25 points and five Charlotte players scored in double figures as the Hornets beat the New York Knicks 115-98 Thursday night for their fourth victory in seven games.

Ball added eight assists as teammates Mark Williams (19 points, 14 rebounds), Miles Bridges (15 points, 10 rebounds), DaQuan Jeffries (14 points) and Nick Smith, Jr. (13 points) also reached double figures.

Charlotte snapped a two-game skid that included losses of more than 30 points. The Hornets have lost five games by 30 or more points in the last month.

Charlotte (18-51) took the lead for good late in the first quarter and led by as many as 19 points.

O.G. Anunoby scored 25 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points, 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who have lost three of their last four games and six of their last nine.

New York fans have always had a presence when the team plays in Charlotte, dating to the large number of fans who attended games at the old Charlotte Coliseum in playoff series in 1993 and 1997. But, the cheers of Knicks’ fans Thursday were so loud you’d have thought the game was at Madison Square Garden, particularly in the third quarter by the loud boos when Towns was whistled for a technical foul.

pacers 105, nets 99

Bennedict Mathurin scored six of his 28 points in overtime and the Indiana Pacers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 105-99 on Thursday night.

Mathurin added a career-high 16 rebounds for the Pacers. Myles Turner added 23 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.

Ziaire Williams and D’Angelo Russell each scored 22 points for Brooklyn.

Indiana trailed 52-42 at halftime and outscored the Nets by four points in the third quarter and six in the fourth to force overtime tied at 91.

In overtime, Mathurin shot 2 for 3 from the field and 2 for 3 from the line.