A third win in Indiana was too much to ask - especially a Game 7.
The Hawks season came to an abrupt end without it. They were left to lament a postseason where they missed out on two chances on their home court to make playoff history.
The Pacers broke open a close game with a decisive run to end the second quarter for a 92-80 victory in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first-round matchup Saturday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers won a second straight game – a first in the series for either team – and advanced to the second round. Only two days earlier, the eighth-seeded Hawks had a chance to eliminate the top-seeded Pacers at home in Game 6. They also had a chance to win at home in Game 4 that would have given them a 3-1 series lead. Neither happened.
The Hawks were trying to become only the sixth No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in NBA history. They also had a chance to become the first No. 8 seed to win a Game 7 on the road.
No history made on this night.
“This group has been very competitive, very resilient,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “As we’ve done all year, we’ll focus on how we got ourselves into position to be in Game 7. We got ourselves in position to win games on the road. We got ourselves in position to win games at home. I think it’s important to give our group credit and give our players credit for all that they did to put themselves in this position.
“I think it’s important that we look at ourselves honestly and critically and look to improve in those situations where we didn’t finish, we didn’t convert. We all need to improve starting with myself. The context for me was we did a lot of things to put ourselves to in this position to be here for Game 7.”
The Hawks shot just 30.4 percent (28 of 92) from the field. All-Star Paul Millsap was held to 15 points, all but two in the second half, on 6 of 21 shooting. Kyle Korver (19 points), Jeff Teague (16), Mike Scott (15) and Shelvin Mack (13) finished in double-figures.
“Personally, I felt like I pressed a little bit,” Millsap said. “But they did a good job. Some of the driving lanes that I had earlier in the season weren’t there. I missed a fast-break layup. I missed some open 3’s. It’s not necessarily something that they did but something I did.”
The Hawks missed nearly as many shots (64) as the Pacers attempted (70).
Paul George led the Pacers with a game-high 30 points. The Pacers even got 13 points from Roy Hibbert, who had been a non-factor all series.
The Pacers took advantage of a woeful second quarter by the Hawks and took a 47-36 halftime lead. Until the run, the Pacers’ biggest lead was just two points.
How bad the second quarter was for the Hawks? Consider all this:
* The Pacers closed on a 14-2 run.
* Teague scored at the 6:12 mark and it was the final basket of the quarter. Two Millsap free throws with 36 seconds left were the only points. In the quarter, the Hawks shot 20 percent (4 of 20).
* The Hawks missed 10 straight shots and had two turnovers as the Pacers caught fire.
* The Hawks scored just 13 points in the quarter – and that included a four-point play by Korver and a 3-pointer by Shelvin Mack.
* Millsap was 0-for-6 from the field in the quarter and 0-for-9 in the first half. Combined with Pero Antic (0-for-3) and DeMarre Carroll (1-for-3), the Hawks front court was 1-for-15 in the first half.
* Teague had a dunk attempt blocked by Ian Mahinmi at the buzzer to put an exclamation point on quarter.
“It’s tough,” Teague said. “We let Game 6 slip. That is all we are going to think about.”
The Pacers pushed their lead to 17 points in the third quarter. The Hawks used an 18-9 run to close the quarter and cut their deficit to eight points, 71-63, headed into the final period. Scott and Mack each hit two 3-pointers in the run.
It was as close as the Hawks would come. The Pacers pushed their lead to 18 points in the fourth quarter to nixe any notion of a Hawks comeback.
“We are getting the system,” Korver said. “We are building the culture. We are building those things. We have to learn how to execute better, especially down the stretch. You learn how to win. You learn how to play but you also learn how to win. I think that is the next step for us.”
The Pacers advanced to play the Wizards in a second-round series that begins Monday.
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