A pretty decent matchup took place Tuesday night when the Atlanta Hawks visited the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse. That is, until the opening tip.
Usually, Joe Johnson punks the Pacers in the scoring column; however, this wouldn’t be one of those games. The Hawks had nothing to fear as six players scored in double-digits and took over in the third quarter, leading Atlanta to the 102-92 win.
Both teams claimed quarters of their own as the Pacers outscored the Hawks 24-21 while Atlanta had a four-point advantage in the second quarter, with the Hawks taking a slim one-point lead going into the intermission.
The Hawks led 58-55 in the third period when the Pacers’ Josh McRoberts grabbed an offensive board, only to have the putback blocked by Josh Smith then Marvin Williams converting a three-point play at the other end of the court. Smith drained a three-pointer on Atlanta’s next possession to put them ahead 64-55 halfway through the third quarter.
The Hawks would take a 12-point advantage into the final 12 minutes.
The Pacers had a pair of chances to cut into the Hawks’ lead early in the fourth quarter, but T.J. Ford and Danny Granger missed on close-range shots; after Granger’s miss, Jamal Crawford made a trey that pushed Atlanta’s lead to 81-69.
Indiana did reduce their deficit to five on a layup by Ford, but the Hawks put the game away for good with a 7-0 spurt, including a three-pointer by Johnson.
Six Hawks players scored in double-digits, led by Smith with 25 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and 7 blocks while Mike Bibby chipped in 16 (including three 3-pointers) with 3 rebounds, 7 assists and a steal. Al Horford added 15 with 6 rebounds and 3 assists.
The Pacers were led by Granger with 22 points with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and 2 blocks while Roy Hibbert added 18 with 15 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block. Mike Dunleavy chipped in 14 with a rebound, 2 assists and 2 steals.
Atlanta (8-4) plays again on Saturday night when they host the Dallas Mavericks while Indiana (4-5) remains at home to host the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night.


November 17th, 2010
Stephen Rhodes
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