Hornets set franchise record for points in a quarter with 49 in 1st vs. Pacers

The Indiana Pacers dropped 35 points in the opening 12 minutes against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. On most nights, that would be enough to jump out to a sizable lead, or at least enough to be up on the scoreboard.

Not this time, though.

Charlotte scored 49 points to open the contest at the Spectrum Center, setting a new franchise record for points in a quarter. The offensive onslaught was capped off by former Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams, who dropped in an off-balanced floater as time expired.

The previous team record was 47 in the fourth against the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 4, 1991.

The 49 points against Indiana is also a season high in the NBA. The all-time record for points in the first quarter is 50, which five teams hold, while the most points scored in any quarter is 58 by the Buffalo Braves on Oct. 20, 1972.

The Hornets connected on 19-of-23 from the field, 7-of-11 from 3-point range, and converted all four of their free throws. Leading the way was Nicolas Batum with 16 points and three makes from behind the arc, while Frank Kaminsky and Dwight Howard had 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Heading into the night, Charlotte ranked just 18th in offense (104.6 points per 100 possessions), 28th in field-goal percentage (44.2 percent), and 21st in 3-point percentage (35.7 percent).

When you're hot, you're hot.