Hawks hang on to down short-handed Pacers

The Hawks escaped with a 108-104 win over the Pacers on Monday at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. But the win didn’t look good, as the Hawks faced a decimated Pacers squad.

The Pacers had just six players available for the game, all of whom averaged fewer than 20 minutes per game entering the contest. They even lost one of their six available players in the final 58 seconds due to injury.

But the Hawks held off the Pacers with 10.2 seconds to play after a hook shot from Onyeka Okongwu late in the shot clock.

Okongwu caught an inbound pass just outside the arc, dribbled in, and pulled up at the dotted line. He let it fly with just 0.4 seconds left on the shot clock.

It staved off a late 9-1 run from the Pacers.

Quick stats: Nickeil Alexander-Walker led all scorers with 34 points on 9-of-15 shooting from 3. Corey Kispert had 14 points off the bench.

The top of the Pacers’ rotation missed Monday’s game, leaving them with just six players available. All six players ended the night with double-digit scoring.

Key moment

The Hawks built a healthy lead in the first half thanks to their 3-point shooters. They hit a franchise-best 15 3s in the first half.

That allowed them to build a 12-point lead and gave them enough cushion to weather a Pacers rally in the third quarter and another rally that cut the lead to 106-104 with 1:23 to play.

Highlight play

Alexander-Walker had a monster night beyond the arc. He tied his career high in 3-pointers made with 4:33 to play.

His initial attempt from the right wing hit the front of the rim. But CJ McCollum grabbed the offensive rebound and found Alexander-Walker, who had relocated to the top of the key.

Alexander-Walker’s second-chance 3 hit nothing but net.

What they said

“Just execution on both ends. It was a two-point ball game because we fouled, because we were in discipline, because we were staying solid. You know, we’re gambling, taking a risk, and I think that’s what hurt us is we got our leads. We lost focus, but just to stay focused and execute on both sides.” — Alexander-Walker to sportscaster Madison Hock on what Hawks coach Quin Snyder said in the final huddle.

“A win you’ll take at any cost, especially in this league, so we’ll definitely take the win, and we did enough to win. I think the mindset is just how can we be better, you know, push ourselves to exceed limits and expectations and reach new heights.” — Alexander-Walker to Hock on what the win says about the Hawks.

“Watch the film, learn from it, learn from our mistakes, communicate, and apply it. That’s the main thing. Apply it.” — Alexander-Walker to Hock on how the Hawks get better.