Al Horford may want to stop by more often.
The Hawks got a pre-game visit from their injured star, just a quick hello, and then went out and drubbed the NBA-best Pacers.
The Hawks built a 25-point lead en route to a 97-87 victory at Philips Arena Wednesday. The Pacers may have the NBA’s best record - but the Hawks still have their number in Atlanta. They won their 12th straight regular-season home win over the Pacers.
It was the signature win at this point in the season. More importantly, the Hawks (19-17) snapped a three-game losing streak.
“It does a lot,” Kyle Korver said of the win. “We are trying to re-figure things without Al. It’s going to take a little bit of time. I think tonight was really a great game for our team.”
Korver had 17 points to lead Hawks, who never trailed. They also got double-figures from Pero Antic (16), Jeff Teague (15), Mike Scott (15) and DeMarre Carroll (11). Making the win more impressive was the fact that Paul Millsap had more rebounds (six) and assists (five) than points (four).
Korver also extended his NBA-record streak to 105 games with a 3-pointer. The streak continued as he was fouled – the 10th four-point play of his career and fifth this season. Carroll also had four rebounds, four assists and three steals, bring his total to 11 in the past four games.
The Pacers (28-7) had a three-game win streak snapped and lost for just the second time in 10 games.
Paul George led the Pacers with a game-high 28 points and 12 rebounds. The Pacers played without starter Lance Stephenson (knee) and Danny Granger started in his place, his first assignment since April 21, 2012.
“Once we get this thing rolling, we are going to be really good,” Carroll said. “We are playing without Al and we are still in every game. Every game is coming down to the last minute or the last second and we are playing top teams. We have to keep punching it and we are going to be really good.”
The Hawks took a commanding 17-point lead, 49-32, into halftime.
The sizeable advantage started in the first quarter with a 12-0 run start as the Pacers struggled from the beginning. They missed their first five shots on the way to a 1-of-13 start that included five turnovers. The Pacers finished the first quarter shooting 23.8 percent (5 of 21). The Hawks led 25-12 after the opening period represented the Pacers’ lowest first-quarter output of the season.
“I think the defense fueled the offense,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “The defense fueled the energy that we played offense with. There was just a commitment on the defensive end that spilled over to the offensive end where people were moving and the ball was moving and we were just sharper and crisper. That is sometimes how it works. There is just an energy that you get from playing good defense.”
Antic scored eight of the Hawks first 10 points, including two 3-pointers. He finished with 12 first-half points. The Hawks shot 50 percent (20 of 40) with just four turnovers in the first half. The Pacers shot 32.5 percent (13 of 40) with 11 turnovers.
The Hawks pushed their lead to 25 points, 65-40, in the third quarter. The Pacers answered with a 15-4 run to close the gap to 11 points before the Hawks took a 79-66 lead into the final quarter.
The Pacers got as close as eight points. The Hawks sealed the much-needed victory by making 6 of 8 free throws.
“We needed this game badly so we started this game with a lot of energy on defense first of all,” Antic said. “We know who we played, Indiana with the best record, and we wanted to prove that we can win.”
The Hawks next host the Rockets on Friday.
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