Hawks-Pacers Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO
Posted Mar 06 2012 1:22AM

The banged-up Atlanta Hawks hope the success they had on their recent homestand will carry over to the road, where things have not gone well of late.

A return home might be just what the Indiana Pacers need to bounce back from their first defeat in almost three weeks.

Looking for a third straight victory overall, the Hawks face another difficult challenge when they try to avoid a season-high fourth consecutive road loss Tuesday night against the Indiana Pacers.

Atlanta (22-15) is coming off a 3-1 homestand that concluded with Saturday's 97-90 win over Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City. The Hawks played Saturday's game without Joe Johnson (knee) and Willie Green (back), but Josh Smith matched a season high with 30 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as Atlanta held the Thunder to 15 fourth-quarter points.

"I'm an emotional guy," said Smith, who had 24 points and 19 rebounds in a 99-94 victory over Milwaukee on Friday. "I'm the emotional leader of this basketball team and whenever we can make some defensive stops and put them together, that definitely has to get you fired up."

Smith averaged 22.5 points and 13.3 rebounds on the homestand to help the Hawks get by without Johnson (17.6 points per game), who could sit out for the fifth time in six games Tuesday.

"We need (Smith) to be that impact player, particularly with his energy," coach Larry Drew said. "We can feed off his energy. When he's playing like that, you can see the rest of the guys step their level of play up."

Smith has been somewhat less effective during Atlanta's three-game road skid averaging 14.7 points and 9.7 boards. The Hawks have averaged 79.3 points on 40.4 percent shooting in those contests.

Smith had 28 points and 12 rebounds Feb. 8 in a 97-87 home win over the Pacers (23-13). He finished with 16 points and seven boards Jan. 11 in a 96-84 loss at Indiana, where the Hawks have dropped two in a row and 17 of their last 22 visits.

The Pacers have won four in a row overall at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, improving to 11-4 at home on the season. However, they'll now look to bounce back after their season-high six-game overall winning streak was snapped Monday with a 92-72 loss at Eastern Conference-leading Chicago.

Paul George scored 21 points but Indiana shot just 34.2 percent from the field, including 3 of 16 from 3-point range, while being held to its fewest points of the season. The Pacers led by three two minutes into the second half, before the Bulls went on a 20-4 run en route to handing Indiana its first defeat since a 98-87 loss at Cleveland on Feb. 15.

"We definitely got stagnant," said forward Danny Granger, who had 11 points - more than seven below his season average. "They picked up their intensity."

Despite the loss and looming games at Miami and Orlando this weekend, the Pacers remain confident.

"We feel good about the way we're playing," Granger said.

Granger has averaged 26.6 points while shooting 52.4 percent in his last five home games versus Atlanta.

Hawks beat Pacers for third straight victory

Posted Mar 06 2012 11:06PM

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The Atlanta Hawks are back on track, and Josh Smith is a big reason.

Smith had 27 points and nine rebounds, leading the Hawks to their third straight victory, 101-96 over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night.

"Josh has been on a roll as of late," coach Larry Drew said. "We've been going through him offensively and defensively. He's been an anchor for us. Tonight I felt he played another phenomenal ball game. He was just solid."

Smith scored 13 points in the first quarter, 11 in the third, and fell three points shy of his season high. He passed the credit onto his teammates.

"It's great when your teammates lift you up," Smith said. "That really helped in the third and fourth quarter. We're coming together and figuring out a way to win ball games."

Jannero Pargo had 16 points, while Marvin Williams and Zaza Pachulia each scored 12 for the Hawks.

David West scored a season-high 24 points for the Pacers, who have lost two straight. Danny Granger had 19 points and eight rebounds, and George Hill scored 15 points off the bench for Indiana.

"They kept us off balance with good ball movement and we couldn't seem to adjust to their schemes," West said. "We just weren't able to figure them out in the time to stop them."

The Hawks led by as much as 16 points in the first half, but Granger's 3-pointer tied it at 62.

West's basket gave Indiana its last lead at 71-69 before Williams answered with a 3-pointer.

The Hawks outrebounded the Pacers 45-37 and grabbed 14 offensive rebounds.

The Pacers returned home after losing Monday to the Chicago Bulls on the road, 92-72, snapping a season-best, six-game winning streak.

"We didn't defend the 3 well and didn't do a good enough job on the defensive glass," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "It cost us the game. I don't think we were ourselves the last two games."

The Hawks visit Miami on Wednesday.

Notebook: Hawks 101, Pacers 96

Posted Tuesday March 6, 2012 10:55PM

By Conrad Brunner, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: As hot as Josh Smith was, it figured once he cooled off the Atlanta Hawks would be in trouble. The opposite turned out to be true. Smith scored a game-high 27 points but was scoreless in the final 16½ minutes as Jannero Pargo and Zaza Pachulia combined for 21 of the Hawks' final 32 points in a 101-96 victory over the Indiana Pacers Tuesday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Pargo finished with 16 points, including four 3-pointers off the Atlanta bench, while Pachulia had 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Hawks (23-15) won their third in a row to pull one-half game behind Indiana (23-14) in the Eastern Conference standings. David West scored a season-high 24 to lead the Pacers, who closed to 97-96 with 23 seconds left but Danny Granger missed a quick 3-pointer and the Hawks closed it out at the line.

QUOTABLE: "It's great when your teammates lift you up. That really helped in the third and fourth quarter. We've just been playing tremendously and not been worried about who has been in and out of the lineup. Guys really have been stepping up and playing outstanding. We have to keep sharing the basketball and keep playing as well on the defensive end."
-- Smith

THE STAT: Indiana has lost its last six games against teams with winning records: Atlanta (twice), Chicago, Miami, Denver and Memphis. The Pacers' last seven wins have come against teams with losing records.

TURNING POINT: After taking a 95-87 lead with 5:20 left, Atlanta made just one basket the rest of the way, a jumper by Pargo that made it 97-91 with 2:15 remaining. Granger's driving three-point play cut it to 97-96 but Jerry Stackhouse made two free throws to make it a three-point game with 22 seconds to go. Granger then tossed up a quick 3-pointer with 18 seconds left and the rebound wound up in the hands of Marvin Williams, who was fouled and closed it out at the line.

QUOTABLE II: "I thought going down the stretch defensively we did a really good job. We had a little bit of a lead going down the stretch and defensively we were solid. Offensively the execution wasn't there. We missed a few shots in the stretch and the Pacers capitalized and got back in the game. ... I'm proud of our guys for weathering the storm. They didn't panic."
-- Atlanta coach Larry Drew

HOT: Smith hit 12 of his first 15 shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, and also had nine rebounds to go with his 27 points. He was 0-of-4 in the fourth quarter. West shot 10 of 13 for Indiana and George Hill had 15 points off the bench.

NOT: Both teams' starting backcourts struggled, combining to shoot 9 of 33 overall, 2 of 7 from the 3-point line. Granger scored 19 points but shot 6 of 17.

QUOTABLE III: "They kept us off balance with good ball movement and we couldn't seem adjust to their schemes. We just weren't able to figure them out in time to stop them. They made a lot of second shots and you can't give those kinds of shots and win games. These are both contenders and teams that we could meet later. So we've got to improve on these, pack it up and move on to the next game."
-- West

GOOD MOVE: Though Smith carried his team most of the night, Drew let his reserves have extended run down the stretch as Pargo and Tracy McGrady both played almost all of the fourth quarter. The two played a key role in Atlanta's ability to hold off Indiana's late charge.

BAD MOVE: With the chance to either go for a quick two or run the clock down for a potential game-tying 3-pointer, Granger did neither. Down 99-96 with 22.6 seconds left, the Pacers called a timeout and got the ball inbounds to their leading scorer but he hoisted up a well-defended 3-pointer that missed with 18.7 seconds left. In the scramble for the rebounds, Paul George saved the ball inbounds but it wound up in the hands of Williams, who was fouled and made both to close out the scoring.

NOTABLE: Outrebounded 45-37 by the Hawks, the Pacers have been beaten 105-69 on the boards in their last two games and outscored 35-13 on second-chance points. ... Hill has averaged 14.0 points off the bench in the last three games. ... The Pacers will be without Jeff Foster up to two weeks after the veteran center underwent another procedure to relieve pain in his lower back. With the March 15 trade deadline approaching, they may be on the lookout for another big body to complement Lou Amundson as the backup center. ... The Hawks were without Joe Johnson (left knee tendinitis) and Willie Green (lower back spasms), both players missing their third straight games.

UP NEXT: For the Pacers, Saturday @ Miami, Sunday @ Orlando, Tuesday vs. New Jersey. For the Hawks, Wednesday @ Miami, Friday @ Detroit, Sunday @ Sacramento.

• Hawks: Horford, Johnson
• Pacers: --

• Hawks: --
• Pacers: --

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
• Officials: #36 David Jones, #38 Michael Smith, #63 Derek Richardson
• Attendance: 11393
• Duration: 2:21