Jarace Walker has been starting at shooting guard some this season but based on his current 1 for 16 from 3pt range stretch over 4 games, maybe he shouldn't be. Ben Mathurin returned from a long absence and put up 25 points in 25 minutes. PG Andrew Nembhard has upped his scoring 75% vs last season in the same number of minutes. His listed backup at SF is Ben Sheppard and he has played 22, 20 and 29 minutes in his last 3 games. Walker doesn't look like a prime candidate to play more than 25 minutes or get more than 9 FGAs tonight. Walker comes in with 7-0 under this line with closer to a 12 PTS+REB average. Look for that trend to continue.

FanDuel. Bennedict Mathurin returned for the dwindling Pacers on Monday, netting 25 points in 25 minutes. He’s now cleared this points line in each of his three games, with a usage rate of at least 27% in each contest. The Arizona product should thrive against a Hornets defense that struggles to stop three level scoring threats from the wing. Even if his workload is capped to 30-32 minutes, Mathurin is averaging .68 scoring opportunities per minute, and the Hornets are allowing the fourth highest effective field goal percentage. I’d bet this up to over 22.5 points.

Bennedict Mathurin recently missed 11 straight games with a toe injury. In his first game back Monday, he scored 25 points over 25 minutes against the Pistons. He has played three games this season and has scored at least 25 points in each of them, with two of those games coming against the top teams in the league in defensive rating. The Hornets have the eighth-worst defensive rating, so Mathurin has the potential to provide another big scoring performance.

So it goes for Indiana, which internally knows this season is a lost cause, and six more months of agony await before hopefully returning to something that look likes the old Pacers in 2026-27, with a healthy Tyrese Haliburton and Obi Toppin among familiar faces now sidelined. Bennedict Mathurin has just returned but Aaron Nesmith is still out, along with Halburton and Toppin, as Indiana has lost eight straight and not been within fifteen points its last six. Meanwhile, Charlotte not looking bad, with a succession of combative efforts including a near-miss on Monday at Toronto and a cover on Saturday vs. OKC, with LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, and Duke rookie Kon Knueppel all scoring 20+ vs. the Raps. Play Hornets on ML.