Dominant second half lifts Hawks past Pacers in matinee game

The Hawks have won three consecutive games after they downed the Pacers 132-116 in a matinee game at State Farm Arena on Monday.

Halfway through the third, trailing the Pacers 15, the Hawks buckled down defensively. They erased it, giving the approximately 7,000 fans who braved the cold to catch the game originally scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Monday.

They went on a 25-7 run, eventually taking a one-point lead off of a Luke Kennard layup.

“Mo (Gueye), CJ (McCollum), that group was in,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “CJ, Christian (Koloko), Mo and Luke, I thought those guys just pushed the bar up. And, you know, we maintained it from that point on the first half, they were just on the rim.”

Quick stats: Off the bench, McCollum led the Hawks’ scoring with 23 points, along with eight rebounds and seven assists, on an efficient 9-of-15 shooting from the floor and 5-of-7 shooting on 3-point shots. Dyson Daniels finished with 22 points, five rebounds and nine assists. Koloko set a new career-high in scoring with 12 points. He also had four rebounds and three blocks.

Key moment

The Pacers jumped on the Hawks early, building a lead by as many as 11 points in the first half. But toward the end of the second quarter, McCollum caught fire.

He hit a 3 with 2:16 to play, then another with 1:53. He then picked off Pacers center Micah Potter and took the ball the other way before pulling up for a third consecutive 3. It cut the Hawks’ deficit to 62-58 and forced the Pacers to call a timeout.

Highlight play

Daniels had quite the afternoon offensively. The 22-year-old had a flashy start, putting Potter on a poster.

With 6:25 to play in the first quarter, Daniels set a pick for McCollum. As McCollum rotated to the top of the key, Daniels cut to the basket and caught a bounce pass from McCollum.

Potter tried to defend the shot, but Daniels cocked one arm back and slammed it down. Daniels then pointed at Potter.

Then in the third quarter, Daniels knocked down his first 3 since Dec. 14.

With 11:08 to play in the third quarter, Corey Kispert dribbled into the paint from the wing to collapse the defense. Kispert then kicked the ball out to Daniels at the top of the key for a wide-open jumper.

What they said

“He’s really good at picking spots, I think to come into a team specifically have, you know, Dyson, I think Nickeil and JJ (Jalen Johnson), who have the ball various times. One of the reasons we try to run it allows everybody to get in touch and move it, and for CJ to come into that dynamic and really make the effort that he’s making, to make plays for other people, and then it’s good for him not to forget some of the things that he’s really good at. That can also give our team a lift.” -- Snyder on McCollum’s three straight 3s in the second quarter.

“I see where the game is going from a momentum standpoint, obviously, little dead 1:30 game, right? It’s cold outside. Remind me of my Lehigh days, where not a lot of energy in the building, but just trying to make plays. You know, got some good looks, catch and shoot. Got a steal, easy transition, walk in 3 and rushed one I probably shouldn’t have taken, but I think all in all, just, you know, reading the flow of the game and being aggressive, trying to hunt, catch and shoot 3s.” -- McCollum on his shooting in the second quarter.