INDIANAPOLIS — The Pacers came into the joint looking to extend their four-game winning streak to five. However, the Hawks had won five of their last six games with the only loss being to the Pacers a week ago. So they weren’t trying to just let a boy walk out of there with a New Year’s Eve “W” but it was completely out of their control. Indiana went to work on these boyz beating them 116-108. The score wasn’t indicative of the final score.
Atlanta jumped out of the whip shooting that thang as they went up 20-13 before the first media timeout. Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce had them hustlin’ and you would never know that they were 11-24 and sitting at the bottom of the East. At the first timeout they were shooting 67 percent from the from and 80 percent from the behind the arc. Yeah they came to play.
Well…and so did the Pacers my friend as they went on a 17-1 run to keep a boy honest to go up 30-21 down the stretch of the first quarter. They ended the first quarter up 33-25.
As the second quarter began the Hawks continued to put pressure on Indiana as they went on a 20-14 run to get within 2 points at 47-45 at the 5:36 mark. By the time we got to the break it was all knotted up at 60. Well…in my Lee Corso voice, “Not so fast my friend!” Myles Turner knocked down a three as the horn sounded to put the Pacers up 63-60.
What was so amazing was that the Pacers only committed 4 turnovers in the first half. Both Victor Oladipo and Myles Turner led Indiana into the break with 11 of their 22 and 20 points respectfully.
The Pacers came out of the break with the same momentum that they went into it with going on a 13-3 run to start the half. By the time fans could sit back down and bite into their hot dogs the Blue and Gold were up 76-66.
The Hawks attempted to make a run as Tre Young started to find a rhythm but Indiana turned on the switch as Victor Oladipo started to light the joint up. Lloyd Peirce needed a timeout to talk about it as the Pacers went up 87-76.
Indiana continued to stretch the lead and by the end of three quarters it was 97-81. Nate McMillan’s squad was shooting the lights out of the gym through the 9:45 mark of the fourth quarter knocking down 54 percent of their shots from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc. That was NUTS!!!
The Pacers finished shooting 50 percent from the field and 46 percent from behind the arc. Nate McMillan’s goal is to have at least 25 assists and on New Year’s Eve they produced 29.
They had six players in double figures including Myles and Vic. Domantas Sabonis finished with 20 points as Bojan Bogdanovic dropped off 16. Darren Collison lit the joint up with 12 as Tyreke Evans managed a solid 10.
Up next: Chicago on Friday to start a five game road trip.