The Hawks’ six-game win streak came to an end.
With a loud thud.
The Hawks fell behind by as many as 12 points in the first half, after leading by 10, and could not recover in a 93-87 loss Monday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Hawks (20-13) had their four-game win streak snapped against the Indiana Pacers in a turnover-plagued game. The Hawks managed a charge late in the fourth quarter to get as close as 90-87 with 1:06 left and the ball. However, they yielded a turnover, a Pacers offensive rebound and then a tip-in basket to end it. The Hawks finished with 22 turnovers.
The Pacers (18-12) won for their second consecutive game.
Here are the key players and five observations on the game:
Three key players
Monta Ellis: The Pacers guard scored a game-high 26 points, including four 3-pointers.
Paul Millsap: The Hawks forward had a team-high 24 points and seven rebounds.
Hills: The Pacers' George, Solomon and Jordan Hill combined for 27 points.
Five observations
1. Fourth-quarter separation
The Pacers ended any chance of a Hawks’ comeback in the fourth quarter with a 10-4 run midway through the period. They pushed a three-point advantage to nine, 86-77, with 6:20 remaining. From there they pushed their advantage to as many as 10.
2. Back in it
The Hawks trailed by 12 points at halftime but erased the deficit with 4:30 remaining in the third quarter on a 20-8 run start to the half. Millsap had 11 of his points in the third quarter as the Hawks made their run. The Pacers gained back their advantage and took a 74-68 edge into the fourth quarter.
3. Questionable?
The Pacers listed Ellis as questionable on their pre-game injury report with a sore right knee. Coach Frank Vogel said the guard would warm up and be a game-time decision. Well, he started. There was no signs of a problem. Ellis had 15 first-half points as he shot 5 of 9 from the field, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
4. Brutal second quarter
The Hawks led by as many as 10 points twice in the first quarter. The last was a 25-15 edge late. The Pacers responded by going on a 37-15 run through the end of the second quarter to take a 52-40 edge into intermission. For the quarter, the Pacers outscored the Hawks 31-13. It tied the third-lowest scoring output for any quarter this season. The Pacers shot 11 of 22 from the field in the second. However, turnovers killed the Hawks. They had 13 turnovers at the half with nine coming in the second quarter. In the first half, Millsap, Jeff Teague, Mike Scott and Lamar Patterson had two turnovers apiece.
5. Korver shiner
Kyle Korver sported a shiner under his left eye. It was a result of colliding heads with the Knicks’ Robin Lopez in Saturday’s game. Lopez left the game to receive six stitches over his right eye. It was a rough night for Korver, who went 1 of 9 from the field and missed all eight 3-point attempts.
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