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Game Rewind: Pacers 125, Hawks 113

Game Recap

The Pacers (14-13) capped off a solid three-game road trip Saturday night as they captured their second victory of the stint, a 125-113 win over the Atlanta Hawks (11-15) inside State Farm Arena. This is the first time since Jan. 25 and Jan. 27 that Indiana has recorded consecutive wins this season.

With 5:12 remaining and the score tied at 105, the Pacers rattled off 13 unanswered points over a 2:31 span to secure the victory. Indiana outscored Atlanta 41-26 in the final frame as Pacers head coach Nate Bjorkgren utilized the three-guard lineup of Malcolm Brogdon, Aaron Holiday, and T.J. McConnell.

“I think the best thing that I liked with that group was just the intensity at which they were playing,” said Bjorkgren postgame. “I thought the guards were in very serious attack mode on the offensive end.”

All five Pacers starters finished in double figures. Doug McDermott tallied a game-high 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Both Myles Turner (19 points, 10 boards) and Domantas Sabonis (14 points, 13 rebounds) recorded double-doubles, while Brogdon added 18 and eight assists.

However, it was primarily the play of Aaron Holiday and McConnell that stole the show late. Holiday finished with a season-high 18 off the bench, including 13 in the fourth quarter. McConnell finished with a team-high 12 assists. The energy they provided off the bench proved crucial down the stretch as coach Bjorkgren stuck with the hot hands to finish the game.

“It means a lot,” Holiday said of coach Bjorkgren allowing him to close out the game. “Obviously, this league is a business. So, you don’t know what’s going to happen. But, once we’re hot and we’re going, it meant a lot to stay out there and help my team win for sure.”

It was an up-tempo start for the Pacers on both sides of the ball. Active hands on the defense picked up three steals over the first 3:30 of the bout. Tied at 6-all, McDermott then scored six straight Pacers points, including a gritty and-one finish at the rim, to grab a 12-8 lead with 7:28 to go.

But Atlanta wouldn’t let them run away. Five straight pushed the Hawks ahead and forced coach Nate Bjorkgren to call an early timeout.

The squads were separated by no more than three points for the remainder of the frame. With 4:40 to go, Atlanta found a pair of buckets from John Collins and former Pacer Solomon Hill to earn a 19-16 lead. But Indiana continued to respond. Justin Holiday completed a driving two-handed flush, while Turner notched his first bucket of the game to give the Pacers a 22-21 lead at the 2:30 mark.

Indiana was primed to take a three-point lead into the second after Turner’s three-point play in the paint with 45.2 seconds left. However, with 0.6 seconds remaining, 11-year NBA veteran Danilo Gallinari drew a foul from Aaron Holiday on a desperate heave from beyond the arc. He connected on 2-of-3 to trim Indiana’s lead to one.

Indiana started hot in the second, hitting four of its first six shots to maintain the lead. With 9:23 to play, Jeremy Lamb finished a tough three-point play while falling to the ground to put Indiana ahead 36-32. The effort started a 15-6 Pacers run over the next 2:48 that stretched the lead to 46-38. JaKarr Sampson capped the run with a tough right-handed finished between two Hawks defenders. However, Atlanta quickly responded with a 14-5 run to close the gap to 53-52 with 3:12 to go.

But the Pacers held firm. After a timeout, Indiana rattled off seven straight to extend its lead to 60-52 with 1:57 remaining. But, four straight from the Hawks in the final 0:35 trimmed the lead to four before the break.

The clubs remained in close combat over the early moments of the third, trading the lead seven times over the first 3:50 of the frame. At the 8:19 mark, a pair of free throws from Brogdon earned a 72-71 Indiana lead. But, Trae Young responded just nine seconds later with an 11-foot floater to push the Hawks ahead once again.

With time winding down, Indiana appeared to regain its footing. Trailing 84-76, the Blue & Gold tallied seven unanswered, five from the Holiday brothers, to cut the Hawks’ lead to one with 2:22 remaining. However, Atlanta would maintain the lead until the end of the frame.

At the 1:26 mark, Gallinari gave the Hawks an 86-83 edge on a turnaround jumper. Later, Aaron Holiday and Young traded one free throw apiece to close out the third’s scoring.

Early in the fourth, the Hawks swiftly pushed its lead to nine, 96-87, after Cam Reddish hit a pair of free throws with 9:33 to go. However, Indiana would not give up.

The Blue & Gold used a 9-2 spree, including five from McDermott, over the next 1:29 to pull within two of the lead. Then, Aaron Holiday ignited.

Trailing 100-96 with 7:23 to play, Holiday drilled a 24-foot, step-back trey. He then added a right-handed layup to put Indiana back in front, 101-100.

Later, Holiday kept firing. With 4:55 remaining, the third-year guard broke a 105-all tie with a driving layup off a dish from Brogdon. On the ensuing Hawks possession, McConnell picked the pocket of Young from behind. He then found Holiday for his 11th assist of the night, to elevate Indiana’s lead to four.

From there, the Blue & Gold pushed its lead to 118-105 before Gallinari’s 3-pointer ended the streak. Atlanta trimmed the margin to nine after Reddish connected on a free throw. However, that would be as close as they’d get to the lead again. Seemingly out of gas, the Hawks had no answer to Indiana’s speedy guards. They cruised on to the win without a hitch.

Inside The Numbers

The Hawks' Trae Young averaged 37.7 points over three games against the Pacers last year. Tonight, he finished with just 15 on 3-of-8 shooting and didn’t have an attempt from deep.

Indiana recorded 33 assists tonight, one shy of tying its season-high. T.J. McConnell and Malcolm Brogdon combined for 20 of those assists.

Indiana out-rebounded Atlanta 52-47. Coming into tonight, the Hawks ranked 5th in the NBA in rebounds per game while the Pacers ranked 28th.

You Can Quote Me On That

“Teams really have to pay attention to him. Whether he’s in the action of the play or whether he’s on the weak side. He’s a constant threat to come flying out of the corner or coming out of a dribble hand-off, or staggers. You name it. He’s constantly moving” –Bjorkgren on what Doug McDermott brings to the starting lineup

“It’s huge. Those three losses kind of, pushed us back in our playoff race even though it’s still early. But, you still want to win as many as you can early. I’m glad we were able to get on the road and get these two. It was big for us.” –Aaron Holiday on picking up two wins on the three-game road trip

Stat of the Night

Indiana outscored Atlanta 20-8 over the final 5:12 of the game.

Noteworthy

  • Doug McDermott has reached the 20-point mark in four games this season. The Pacers are 2-2 in those games.
  • T.J. McConnell has recorded 12 assists or more in three of his last six outings.
  • The Pacers have won 11 of the last 13 contests against the Hawks.

Up Next

The Pacers will host Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Monday, Feb. 15 at 7:00 PM ET.

Tickets

A limited number of tickets for all upcoming Pacers home games from January 24 through March 4 are now on sale. Single Game Tickets »   Health & Safety Guidelines »