Despite a good fourth-quarter performance, the Hawks (37-31) couldn’t come all the way back in a 133-126 loss to the Pacers (31-35) Thursday in Indiana.
Next up, the Hawks will get three days off before hosting the Wizards Monday.
Below are some takeaways from the loss:
1. Although the Hawks looked primed to tie the Knicks for the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference standings after Wednesday’s blowout win vs. the Suns, the previous top team in the West, they’ll move in the wrong direction after this letdown against a shorthanded Pacers team, missing Malcolm Brogdon (sore right hamstring), Myles Turner (partial plantar plate tear) and T.J. Warren (left foot stress fracture). With four regular season games left, the Hawks are now a full game back from New York (37-29). Fortunately, the Hawks will not have another road game, so they’ll get a favorable schedule and routine the rest of the way.
2. Both teams were playing on the second night of a back-to-back, with the Pacers losing to the Kings and the Hawks beating Phoenix (the Hawks had to travel in between, and the Pacers stayed home). While the Pacers came out firing, the Hawks looking sluggish to start, with eight turnovers in the first half, giving up 40 points in the paint. They trailed by 14 entering the third quarter not because shots weren’t falling, but because they couldn’t get consistent stops or maintain possession. That bad start put the Hawks in a tough position for the rest of the game. “I thought they outworked us tonight,” interim coach Nate McMillan said. “They were the aggressors. Defensively, they came out and really pressured us, disrupted us early in the game, and then they established their tempo. ... That was the message. We’ve got games coming up next week. It’s going to be a scrap against Washington next week; they’re going to be coming with the same intensity, and we’ve got to be better.”
3. Indiana lived in the Hawks’ paint all night long, finishing with 70 points there, a figure that obviously makes it tough to come out on top. The Pacers shot 62.1% from the field to the Hawks’ 51.1%, with 11 steals. “We didn’t come out with the intensity, the energy we needed to, and when you start off like that, it doesn’t matter who you play, an NBA team is going to pick up on that like blood in the water with a shark,” power forward John Collins said. “They’re going to smell that and try to attack it, because everybody’s thirsty for wins.” Bogdan Bogdanovic had 28 points for the Hawks, going 6-10 from 3-point range.
4. Eventually, the Hawks found a rhythm, tying the third quarter 38-38 and starting the fourth quarter out on a 15-2 run. Eight straight points from Collins made it a one-point game, 112-111, with 8:33 to play, and a dunk by Collins pulled them back within three with 4:22 left. He had 12 points in the fourth quarter alone, finishing with 25 points and nine rebounds. Although the Hawks challenged the Pacers down the stretch, holding them to 23 points in the fourth and nearly coming back from an 18-point deficit, they never took the lead, and a late burst by Caris LeVert sealed the win for Indiana. LeVert finished with 31 points and 12 assists for a double-double, plus three blocks, and Domantas Sabonis had 30 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.
5. Trae Young finished with a double-double of 30 points and 10 assists, marking his 31st career game with at least 30 points and 10 assists. That’s the second-most games of that nature in the league since the 2018-19 season (behind Brooklyn’s James Harden with 33).
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Stat of the game
70 (the amount of points the Hawks gave up in the paint)
Star of the game
LeVert (led the Pacers in scoring; had seven straight points to give Indiana a five-point lead with 32.4 seconds to play)
Quotable
“It’s definitely frustrating anytime you lose, but understanding that we’re still in a good spot, still keeping everybody’s heads up.” (Young on the Hawks’ conversation after the loss)
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