Kemba Hudley Walker saved the night for the Eastern Conference seventh leading team Charlotte Hornets as the Michael Jordan-owned basketball squad topped Indiana Pacers with a thrilling 96-95 victory at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday evening.

The 2011 NBA Draft 9^th overall pick Walker finished the game with 22 points including the last basket of the game which gave the Hornets its 30^th win in 57 games played this season - strengthening their hold in the last three spots of the East final eight.

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Monta Ellis, who scored 14 points in 41.25 minutes of action on the court, gave the Pacers the lead with a lay-up over Walker 95-94 with 16.2 seconds to go.  After a Charlotte's timeout, Walker then split two defenders above the 3-point marker to get to the rim and notched a left-handed scoop shot over Paul George with 2.4 seconds to play.

"Everyone was counting on me," Walker, the 2011 Big East Tournament MVP, said. "My teammates, they wanted me to have the basketball."

The Pacers tried to regroup and designed a play, but George, who led all scorers with 32 points, missed the shot from the top of the key as the time winded down.

"I slipped, which screwed up my momentum going to the basket, but I thought I got a good enough look," George, who went 13 for 26 from the field in 35.02 minutes of playing time, said. "Had I not slipped I would have taken it to the basket."

The Hornets are currently tied with the eighth placed Chicago Bulls with the same win-loss record. Charlotte is just one victory away from the sixth-ranked Indiana (31-27) and two wins behind the fifth-best Atlanta Hawks (32-27) in the tight East.

Marvin Williams had a double-double game night with 26 points and 13 rebounds, while the sophomore center Cody Zeller chipped in 14 points and five rebounds for the Hornets, who improved their games on the road to 11-18 this season.

TagsKemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers