The Hawks returned from the All-Star break seven minutes and 23 seconds after the Pacers.
The Pacers jumped out to a 22-point lead in the first eight minutes en route to a 108-98 victory over the Hawks Tuesday night a Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers made 13 of their first 14 shots to build a 31-9 advantage. The Hawks would trim the deficit to three points by the second quarter only to see the Pacers build another 20-point advantage to start the second half.
“Getting down 20-plus in the first quarter goes without saying that that is not where you want to be,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I think the group continues to be resilient, continues to fight, continues to stick together and play together. That is our goal and what we are talking about – sticking together and battling. That is the only way you can get yourself out of a tough stretch. I’m confident that our guys will do that.”
As if the early deficit wasn’t enough bad news, the injury-riddled Hawks lost two more players – even as defensive stopper DeMarre Carroll sat out with a hamstring injury. Center Gustavo Ayon suffered a right shoulder injury and did not play in the second half. Guard Lou Williams, who had 18 points, had to leave in the fourth quarter with a migraine.
“I get them often,” Williams said. “I take a lot of pain medicine for them. I have a couple pills in my system. I should be fine (for Wednesday against the Wizards). … I’ve been getting them for the last 10 years of my life. It’s common for me.”
Carroll is doubtful for Wednesday. He said the Hawks staff does not want him to play until he is 100 percent healthy.
The Hawks finished the game with eight healthy bodies.
The Hawks (25-27, 9-18 road) lost their sixth straight game. It was their second straight defeat to the Eastern Conference leading Pacers.
Kyle Korver led the Hawks with 19 points, including five 3-pointers. He extended his NBA-record streak to 121 games with a 3-pointer. Paul Millsap had just seven points on 3-of-10 shooting. In three games against the Pacers this season, the Hawks All-Star is a combined 6 of 31 from the floor.
“They deny everything,” Millsap said. “They are a good help defense team. And they are big and athletic down low. All that put together makes a good defensive team.”
The Pacers (41-12, 26-3 home) were led by Paul George with game-high 26 points. George entered the game as the NBA’s 11th leading scorer with 22.2 points per game. David West added 17 points.
The Pacers started white hot to build a 22-point first-quarter lead. They were aided by seven Hawks turnovers. The Hawks began to cut into the 31-9 deficit by ending the opening period on a 14-4 run.
The Hawks continued to claw their way back in what appeared to be a blowout and got as close as three points, 52-49, on a Korver 3-pointer with 1:02 remaining in the half. The Pacers scored the next five points to go into intermission with a 57-49 lead.
“I thought they did a good job of breaking the ice first,” Williams said. “The first game back from the All-Star break is usually a tricky game. It’s all about who comes out with the energy first. As you can tell, both teams were turning the ball over, throwing it everywhere. Right after that, they began to make shots. They shot 80 percent (at one point) in the first quarter and it was hard for us to come back.”
The Pacers came out nearly as hot in the third quarter and used an 18-5 run to build another 20-point advantage. They led by 21 points, 75-56, only to have the Hawks trim the deficit seven points. It was the second time the Hawks cut a 20-point deficit to single digits – a dangerous game to play against the Pacers.
The Hawks lost Ayon in the second quarter. He briefly went to the locker room but returned to the game in the second quarter. It was announced following intermission that he would not return. It left the Hawks with one healthy center, Elton Brand, to finish the game. He picked up his fifth foul in the fourth quarter.
“It’s tough man,” Millsap said. “Rotation-wise it is tough. You never know who you are going to be in the game with. The chemistry might not be there completely because you are in the game with different guys. We are just limited with guys. Through all that, we still have to find a way to win games.”
Wednesday’s game against the Wizards starts a stretch of three key games in the Eastern Conference standings as they then travel to the Pistons Friday and host the Knicks Saturday.
“A lot of things are going on but we have to find a way,” Brand said. “I think our group is resilient enough to try to find a way. We are not going to give up.”
