Hawks take 2-1 series lead over Pacers
By TYLER SMITH
ISL Correspondent
The third quarter has been the deciding factor in each game of the Pacers-Hawks series. Thursday night had a similar feel.
After an ugly offensive first half which resulted in a one-point lead for Atlanta, the Hawks outscored the Pacers 28-20 in the third quarter, taking control of the game for good. Though the Pacers cut the lead to four at one point in the final quarter, the lead the Hawks built in the third made it much easier to sustain the Pacers mini-run. They were able to pull away late, winning Game 3 by a score of 98-85.
The Pacers have now dropped 13 of their last 19 games on the road. Two of those wins came while resting starters, meaning the starting unit is 4-13 in its last 17 road games. That is nowhere near championship level, and spells big trouble for this Pacers team. That also makes the Game 1 loss look even more devastating. This team will have to find a way to win a game in Atlanta, or the dream season will have a nightmarish ending.
A key statistic from this game was from the free throw line. The Hawks were 30-for-37 from the line, while the Pacers were just 16-for-21. That’s a 14-point difference, in a 13-point win.
Paul George got in early foul trouble and did not score until the third quarter. He finished the night with just 12 points on 3-of-11 shooting, but did grab a team-high 14 rebounds.
“I just thought they played with more energy,” George said. “We didn’t pay attention to the details. We gave them good looks, plain and simple.”
George also echoed similar thoughts as he said after the Game 1 loss: “One game at a time. We’ll make the adjustments.”
George Hill had another off-night, shooting 1-of-11 from the field. The Pacers were minus-13 with Hill on the floor, and plus-2 when C.J. Watson was on the floor.
Roy Hibbert continued his downward spiral as well, finishing with four points and two rebounds.
Coach Frank Vogel seemed noncommittal about Hibbert starting in Game 4, saying, “We’ll see. I have confidence in Roy Hibbert. We’ll look at everything. We’ve won with (David) West and (Luis) Scola playing together before.”
Vogel also repeated the same message he’s been saying for two months.
“We’ve got to move the basketball a little bit better,” he said.
The Pacers now face a must-win situation once again. Only this time, it’s on the road against a team that can smell blood in the water. They’ve trailed the Hawks by double digits in all three games of this series. Slow starts, lots of fouls, losing shooters and lots of turnovers have been the story.
They are still just one big road win away from getting this first-round series back in their favor. They’re also just one loss away from disaster.
Game 4 is Saturday at an early start time of 2 p.m.
Follow Tyler Smith on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sports_TYs_20.
