Pacers drop fifth straight
By TYLER SMITH
ISL Editor
(Photo by Pacers Sports and Entertainment)
INDIANAPOLIS — After starting the season 7-9 despite several injuries, the Indiana Pacers were feeling pretty good about things. Since then, it’s been all downhill. The Pacers were no match for the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, dropping their fifth straight game by a final score of 108-82 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Things don’t get any easier from here either. The next three Pacers games are against the Clippers, Raptors, and Blazers. Those teams have a combined 45-14 record so far this season.
“We’re not going to overreact,” Coach Frank Vogel said after the game. “It’s a tough stretch of our schedule. We’re battling through a lot.”
The Atlanta Hawks are a good shooting team, but they seem to really enjoy shooting in Indiana. They gave Pacer fans flashbacks from last season’s first round playoff series, as they shot 52% from the field for the game and 43% from three. They set the tone early with five three’s in the first nine minutes of the game. Al Horford and Jeff Teague combined for 46 points on 17-of-29 shooting. Atlanta improved their record to 14-6 on the year.
One silver lining in this game for the Pacers was C.J. Miles. They desperately need Miles to find his shot, and he made 4-of-7 from three in this one. He and Rodney Stuckey each scored 15 points to lead the Pacers.
Solomon Hill scored just five points tonight, but he also contributed seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals. I will continue to say: the development of Solomon Hill is more important than winning games this season when thinking about the Pacers future.
The Pacers will look to end their losing streak on Wednesday as they host the Los Angeles Clippers.
Follow Tyler on Twitter: @TylerSmith_ISL
