Throughout much of this season, Baron Davis has led the Charlotte Hornets charge with defense, hard drives to the basket and 3-point shooting.

But not free throw shooting.

In fact, entering Friday night?s 116-106 victory over Indiana, Davis had made 56.4 percent of his free throws this season and 63.4 for his three-year career.

Yet, whether it was because of a recent increase in practice time or better execution and concentration, Davis had a career-best foul shooting effort Friday as he tied a career-high with 38 points.

Davis made 15 of 17 free throws, including the first 12, as Charlotte reached .500 at 25-25.

"And it should have been 17 of 17," Davis said. "I?m just concentrating more. I?ve changed my approach and it?s just more confidence."

It also helped negate a late-game Indiana strategy.

Trailing by seven with 1:14 to play, the Pacers quickly fouled Davis four times and George Lynch once the rest of the way.

The pair converted seven of the 10 tries to seal the victory.

"This is what we?ve been stressing all year: How he goes, we go," Charlotte coach Paul Silas said of Davis? play. "The key was Baron pushing the basketball. Couple that with his free throw shooting, which was excellent, and he just played great."

Davis got considerable help in the victory, as Elden Campbell and Lee Nailon contributed 23 points apiece and P.J. Brown added 18 rebounds.

It came on a night in which the Hornets? set a season-high for Friday attendance.

Local sports radio station WFNZ-AM 610 had promoted "A Charlotte Shindig" for weeks as their way to honor a late talk show caller and show the city?s support for basketball.

Prior to the game ? and during his "Prime Time with the Packman" radio show at nearby restaurant Jock?s & Jill?s ? show host Mark Packer presented Angelia Grey with a signed basketball from the Indiana Pacers. After the game, Grey and members of her family met with Pacers? coach Isiah Thomas and star player Reggie Miller.

Grey?s son, Jeff, was an avid Pacers? fan who frequently called Packer?s show ? where he was known as "Indiana Jones, Jr." ? before dying in a car accident Nov. 24.

The attendance figure of 13,732 made it the fourth-highest attended home game of the year ? and only the eighth of 25 home dates this year in which Charlotte has drawn more than 12,000 fans.

Only twice before this season had the team drawn less than 12,000 fans for a home game ? once in the regular season and once in the playoffs.

The Hornets, who were NBA attendance leaders eight times in their first 12 seasons, have seen attendance drop steadily this season as co-owners George Shinn and Ray Wooldridge sought another city for their team.

The owners? relocation request for New Orleans, La. will either be approved or denied by the NBA Board of Governors at their the April 8-9 meeting in New York.