First Thoughts: Hawks 97, Pacers 87
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Editor
First thoughts after the Indiana Pacers fell to the Atlanta Hawks 97-87 on Wednesday night at Philips Arena:
IN A NUTSHELL: Paul George snapped to life from his recent string of so-so play (28 points, 12 rebounds), but Kyle Korver scored a team-high 17 points and helped Atlanta (19-17) build a 25-point third-quarter lead. Paul Millsap added six rebounds and five assists despite just four points, and Jeff Teague finished with 16 points, six assists and five rebounds. Pero Antic, filling in for injured Hawks star Al Horford, scored 16 points after a monster first half. Indiana shot a mere 40.2 percent overall and mustered only 32 points over the first two quarters, its lowest output of any half this season. Mike Scott added 15 points off the bench, and DeMarre Carroll chipped in 11 points for the Hawks. Pacers guard Lance Stephenson missed the game with a right knee contusion.
KEY SEQUENCE: Down 17 coming out of halftime and looking lost in pretty much every respect, the Pacers did what they always seem to do: mount a furious, sustained comeback that swung the game’s momentum. The Pacers ratcheted up their offense, burning the Hawks with 13-of-21 shooting (61.9 percent) in the third quarter, then forcing five turnovers (that led to seven points) in the fourth. Leading the charge offensively, it was all George and Danny Granger. The wings went into takeover mode, connecting on 7-of-10 shots with 21 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal while essentially playing the whole third frame. When the defense picked up in the fourth, Luis Scola tipped home a fast-break miss from George to bring Indiana within 89-80 with 5:50 to go in the game, but Atlanta kept their composure and finished off the win they deserved. A Korver jumper and two Teague free throws restored the Hawks’ lead to 12 inside of 3 minutes remaining.
BEST OF THE REST: George drew his fourth technical foul of the year in the third quarter for arguing a non-call. … The 12 points the Pacers had on the board after the first quarter were their fewest of the season. Their 13-point deficit entering the second stanza was also their largest… The Pacers have lost 12 consecutive regular-season games in Atlanta. … Granger was up and down in his return to the starting lineup, committing some careless turnovers, missing a few defensive rotations and posting an inefficient 4-of-10 shooting. Granger scored 14 points with five rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block over 32:23. Like the rest of the starters, the worst part of his stat line came in plus/minus: Granger was a minus-9.
WHAT WE LEARNED: When faced with big deficits, the Pacers are usually going to fight back and make things competitive again. This time, the hole was far too large to ever see the light of day and they could never get over the hump in their comeback attempt. Indiana paid for a dreadful first half and lost for the seventh time this year. Roy Hibbert was horrible and David West’s offensive struggles continued. They will get a day to rest before resuming action at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday when they tangle with John Wall’s Washington Wizards.
