This appears to be getting serious, though it will take at least a few more games for the Hornets to convince themselves, if not everyone else.

Consider the evidence: Charlotte 116, Indiana 106. Five victories in seven games. Jamal Mashburn coming back Monday, with David Wesley not too far behind.

"When Charlotte is completely healthy they will have all the pieces and could be one of the top four or five teams in the league," Indiana coach Isiah Thomas said Friday after watching the Hornets choke off Pacers comeback attempts in the victory at the Charlotte Coliseum.

"Mashburn gives them yet another scoring option and go-to guy. They will be tough to beat when he comes back."

They were pretty tough to handle Friday, with Baron Davis' foot hard on the throttle all night, setting an urgent tone from the outset as the Hornets put one of their more complete games together in defeating the Pacers. For almost 48 minutes they had it all going, with the offense purring, the defense solid and producing easy baskets and the rebounding dominant.

Davis, who on occasion has settled more than he would like for perimeter offense and half-court execution, pushed the ball from start to finish, matching a career high with 38 points and compiling eight assists, six rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.

P.J. Brown's 18 rebounds helped Charlotte to a 46-34 advantage on the boards. Elden Campbell and Lee Nailon backed up Davis' scoring with 23 apiece and Jamaal Magloire came off the bench for 11 more (plus seven rebounds) in 18 minutes.

Overall the Hornets outshot Indiana 54.5 percent to 44.0 and choked off repeated comeback attempts by the Pacers, who lost for the fourth straight time.

"I think we've really found ourselves," coach Paul Silas said. "And if everybody keeps producing we'll be fine.

"It takes time to gel as a team. I sense we're coming together. And when Mash and David return (from injuries) we'll have our full complement of players. It will be interesting to see where we go from there."

The win lifted the Hornets to 25-25, the same record as last season after 50 games. More important, it pushed them past the Pacers in the Eastern Conference standings and into a tie with Philadelphia for the eighth and last playoff spot.

Whether this two-game, post-All-Star break winning streak is another blip on the screen or the start of a stretch drive that Silas has been anticipating remains to be seen. The Hornets will get a good idea in the days just ahead -- after finishing up their homestand Sunday afternoon against Memphis, they hit the road for games at Milwaukee and Toronto on Monday and Wednesday.

The playoff bid, it appears, is what is now on everyone's mind in the locker room.

"Pushing the ball is the key to us winning," Davis said. "When we're pushing it everybody is moving and excited. The more you run the more you want to run.

"We have to do whatever it takes to get to the playoffs. It all starts with me. I know the guys are tired of hearing me, but I've been talking a lot about it because I think that's my job (as point guard).

"We always play well for two or three games. There's no reason we can't do it for eight or nine games and get on a winning streak."