The Indiana Pacers demolished the Atlanta Hawks, 126-108, Friday night at State Farm Arena. Tyrese Haliburton did not play in this game due to a hamstring strain. However, the Pacers stepped up to win without him. Indiana still dished out 41 assists without Haliburton, the league leader in that category, en route to a convincing victory.
Clint Capela returned for the Hawks in this contest and went straight to work. He scored the first two buckets before Pacers Head Coach, Rick Carlisle, responded with a timeout 47 seconds into the game. Whatever he said in the huddle worked, as Indiana went on a 9-0 run. When the Pacers collected a defensive rebound, their frontcourt immediately looked to find a quick outlet to ignite a fast-break. After their run, the Hawks countered with back-to-back three’s from Dejounte Murray and Bogdan Bogdanović to tie the game at 24. The Pacers carried a 34-30 lead into the second quarter with Murray and Bruce Brown leading their respective squads with seven points each. Surprisingly, Indiana only shot two three’s but converted 16-19 field goal attempts.
The Pacers opened the second quarter on a 7-0 run led by their bench. T.J. McConnell dished out dimes consistently on his way to 10 assists in just 14 minutes. Indiana extended their lead with a 15-0 run with Bennedict Mathurin exploding in transition. Trae Young struggled to find a rhythm on the other end of the floor, turning the ball over and making uncharacteristically poor decisions. Saddiq Bey hit back-to-back three’s to cut the deficit to 15 before the Hawks ended the first half on a 12-4 run. Atlanta ended the last eight minutes of the second quarter on a 28-15 run behind Murray’s 14 points to cut the Pacers’ lead to 68-62. Indiana scored 48 of their 68 points in the paint compared to just eight three-point attempts.
Coming out of halftime, Indiana immediately went on a 10-3 run. Murray tried to keep Atlanta within striking distance, but the Pacers started to launch from beyond the arch. Buddy Hield caught fire from deep in the second half to stretch the lead to 90-74. Jalen Johnson ignited the crowd when he turned a steal into an emphatic alley-oop slam from Trent Forrest. However, the Hawks could not maintain the momentum to stage a comeback. The Pacers led 99-81 after three quarters.
Young hit his 1000th career three-pointer to cut the lead to 104-89, but Indiana’s bench continued to impress. Early in the quarter, the Pacer’s bench and starters both combined for 53 points. Bey broke a rough three-minute scoreless stretch with a drive to the bucket for free throws, but the Pacers already led 114-90. Head Coach, Quin Snyder, emptied his bench for the second consecutive matchup against the Pacers as they cruised to victory.
Young was not at the top of his game. He shot 4-17 from the field for 13 points and six assists, but he also had five turnovers. In contrast, Murray was in rhythm from tipoff, finishing with 29 points (13-18 FG) and three steals. Bey scored 17 points, shooting great in the first half but struggling in the second. Johnson totaled 16 points, and Bogdanović added 10 off the bench.
For Indiana, McConnell had 14 assists and three steals, dominating the game from a playmaking perspective in just 25 minutes. Hield and Obi Toppin chipped in 18 points, respectively, and Mathurin scored 15. Five other Pacers scored in double digits, and Indiana shot a whopping 67% from the field.
The Hawks have a chance to bounce back Saturday night against the Washington Wizards at home. Atlanta needs to put this loss behind them and focus on the task at hand to win a favorable matchup on the second night of a back-to-back.
