A recap of the Hawks’ 93-87 loss to the Pacers on Monday:
Noteworthy
* The Hawks were 6 of 25 from 3-point range.
* Jeff Teague scored 11 of his 18 points from the free-throw line.
* The Pacers bench was a combined plus-52 and scored 35 points, including 14 of the team’s 19 fourth-quarter points. The Hawks bench was a combined minus-46 and scored 25 points.
* The Pacers improved to 9-0 when holding an opponent under 90 points.
* Al Horford had his seventh double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
* Kent Bazemore set a season-high with six assists and tied a season-high with nine rebounds.
* The Hawks outscored or tied the Pacers in points in three of the four quarters. The 31-13 deficit in the second quarter was the difference. .
* The Hawks outrebounded the Pacers 44-40 but were bested 11-8 on the offensive glass.
* At one point, the Pacers had three players with the last name Hill on the floor at the same time with George, Jordan and Solomon playing together.
* Teague was a nominee for NBA Player of the Week in the Eastern Conference for Dec. 21-27. The Wizards’ Marcin Gortat and the Thunder’s Russell Westbrook won the awards. In three games, all Hawks wins, Teague averaged 17.6 points and 7.0 assists.
Key stat
22
Turnovers committed by the Hawks, a season-high, which led to 26 Pacers points.
Quote of the game
“I was happy with our defensive intensity, especially in the second quarter, maybe the best defensive quarter we’ve had all year.” – Pacers coach Frank Vogel on 31-13 second quarter
Report card
Offense: C-minus
The Hawks had a rough shooting night, finishing at 41.9 percent for the game. Kyle Korver was 1 of 9. Dennis Schroder was 2 of 8. The aforementioned 22 turnovers were killers, including six by Teague. The Hawks held an early 10-point lead but let the Pacers back in the game.
Defense: B
The Hawks held the Pacers to 93 points on 43.7 percent shooting. They gave up untimely offensive rebounds, including one in the final minute that ended any hope of a comeback. The Hawks tried different combinations on Monta Ellis, who hurt them with 15 first-half points.
About the Author