Pacers-Hawks Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Nov 07 2012 12:22PM

The Indiana Pacers haven't impressed on the offensive end with Danny Granger sidelined, but they're getting plenty of rebounds and second-chance points to go along with their hard-nosed defense.

Rarely has any of that made a difference when the Pacers have visited Atlanta.

Playing its fifth game in eight nights, Indiana will try to avoid losing a 10th straight game at Philips Arena on Wednesday.

The Pacers' leading scorer each of the last five seasons, Granger had yet to suit up this season due to a left knee injury, and word came down early Wednesday that he'd likely be out another three months. The team issued a statement saying Dr. James Andrews treated the forward's patellar tendinosis with an injection Tuesday, and Granger now seems unlikely to return until sometime near the All-Star break.

Indiana has spread the ball around nicely through four games without him, as seven players are averaging between 7.5 and 16.8 points.

The Pacers (2-2), though, are averaging 91.0 points and hitting 40.1 percent from the field - toward the bottom of the NBA in both categories. They shot a season-low 34.2 percent in Monday's 101-79 loss at San Antonio.

However, the team is among the league's best in field-goal percentage defense (38.9), total rebounds (53.3 per game), offensive boards (15.3) and second-chance points (15.0).

"And they're a good post-up team," Hawks assistant Lester Conner told the team's official website. "They'll post 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. They'll even post up their point guard in George Hill. If they think they have a mismatch with (Atlanta guards) Lou Williams or Jeff Teague, they'll run him to the box. So again, rebound the basketball and defend their post ups."

Smith should play a big role in that effort, having led Atlanta (1-1) in rebounds and blocks last season. He sprained his right ankle in Friday's 109-102 season-opening loss to Houston and missed Sunday's game in Oklahoma City.

The Hawks, though, showed they can crash the boards without Smith, turning 12 offensive rebounds into 16 points in an unlikely 104-95 win over the Thunder. Al Horford recorded half of those offensive boards and finished with 12 overall along with 23 points - both team highs.

"If we give that type of effort against Indiana on Wednesday night, we'll be pretty good," Conner said.

Despite Horford's outstanding performance Sunday, the Hawks will be thrilled to have Smith back to face the Pacers. They've won 11 of the past 12 meetings when Smith has played as he's averaged 22.4 points. Smith totaled 55 points in the final two matchups last season as Atlanta won both, including a 97-87 victory Feb. 8 in Indiana's only visit to Philips Arena.

The Pacers have dropped nine in a row in Atlanta since a 100-90 victory Dec. 22, 2006.

Horford's matchup with Roy Hibbert could be key. Indiana's All-Star center has totaled 26 points, 19 rebounds and 11 blocks in two wins this season, compared to nine points, 12 boards and two blocks in two losses.

Atlanta also could use another big game from Williams, who leads the team with 20.5 points per game. The former Philadelphia guard's 27 fourth-quarter points are 19 more than any other Hawk, including 14 on Sunday when Atlanta outscored the Thunder by eight.

"I thought the ball swung around a lot tonight, which shows the growth that this team has displayed over the past couple of games. Hopefully, that'll be something we can bottle up and use in the future," Williams said.

The Pacers, meanwhile, have seen their assist total drop in each game. Indiana had 11 assists and 19 turnovers Monday in their worst offensive and defensive performance of the season.

"We turned the ball over a lot. We didn't get open shots," Hibbert told the league's official website after committing three turnovers and shooting 1 for 7.

Korver, Hawks rally late to beat Pacers, 89-86

By CHARLES ODUM
Posted Nov 07 2012 11:06PM

ATLANTA (AP) When Kyle Korver was missing shots and the Hawks were struggling, coach Larry Drew grabbed Korver near the bench and told the 3-point specialist to keep shooting.

Korver nodded, said he would and then kept his word when the game was on the line.

Korver scored eight straight points, including back-to-back 3-pointers, in a late 18-0 run and the Hawks, who trailed by 14 points early in the fourth quarter, beat the Indiana Pacers 89-86 on Wednesday night.

Korver missed five of six 3-pointers in the first three quarters, but Drew said he remained confident in his shooter.

"Absolutely, because I believe in him," Drew said. "I've seen him enough. I believe in his ability. Shooters have that mentality. They can miss five and come back and make the next shot."

Korver, acquired from the Chicago Bulls in the offseason for a trade exception and cash, said he appreciated the vote of confidence from his new team.

"It's good when you know your coach and teammates have your back and keep passing you the ball," Korver said.

Indiana led 83-69 before Atlanta started the comeback. Korver hit back-to-back 3-pointers and added another jumper, cutting the lead to 83-82.

Korver then missed another jumper but Josh Smith grabbed the rebound and passed to Jeff Teague, who hit a 3-pointer with 1:04 remaining to give Atlanta an 85-83 lead. Teague added another basket to cap the 18-0 run.

"Five minutes left to go, all of a sudden they seemed like they were on fire," said Indiana's Roy Hibbert. "We needed a stop and they got open dunks so we've got to figure something out."

Lance Stephenson ended Indiana's drought by hitting a 3-pointer with 21 seconds remaining, cutting Atlanta's lead to one point. Lou Williams answered with a quick basket for the Hawks.

Paul George missed a last-second 3-pointer for Indiana.

David West and George Hill each scored 20 for the Pacers. George had 13.

Al Horford, who led Atlanta with 16 points, said Korver "bailed us out tonight."

"He had good looks all game long," Horford said. "He just couldn't hit them. He's a veteran player. He knows what he has to do, and he just kept shooting the ball with confidence. They eventually fell when it mattered."

Hill said the Pacers "broke down" in the final period.

"Everybody," Hill said. "It starts by everybody holding each other accountable. We've got to figure out what we can do better to be a better team. It starts with myself."

It was a bad ending to a bad day for the Pacers. The team announced that forward Danny Granger is expected to miss up to three months after receiving an injection in his left knee to treat patellar tendinosis. Granger, who hasn't played this season, averaged 18.7 points to lead Indiana last season.

Teague had 15 points for Atlanta. Korver scored 13 points. Zaza Pachulia had 6 points and 14 rebounds.

The Hawks outscored the Pacers 24-9 in the final period.

"It was a struggle to score down the stretch," said Pacers coach Frank Vogel. "We competed our tails off, it just wasn't enough.

"We were trying everything we could."

Atlanta's 18-0 run matched the 18 unanswered points by the Pacers in the third period, when they appeared to take control of the game.

"We had the last run," Korver said. "It was a good gut-check for our team. We were kind of praying there for a minute."

The Hawks led 62-56 before going scoreless for more than 6 minutes, missing nine straight shots from the field, as Indiana built its lead. Smith and Pachulia were called for technical fouls during the run.

Drew tried a big lineup in hopes of matching up against Indiana's 7-foot-2 Hibbert and the 6-9 West inside. Pachulia, normally a backup, started at center as Horford shifted to power forward. Smith moved from power forward to small forward. Atlanta also went bigger in its backup with Korver at shooting guard.

The added size made little difference early as West had 12 points in the first quarter, but the Hawks finished with a 51-41 edge in rebounds.

NOTES: Pacers F-C Jeff Pendergraph (concussion) was inactive. ... Drew said C Johan Petro, who has been held out with lower back pain, will remain inactive until he can log enough practice time to feel comfortable in games. ... Smith missed four straight free throws in the opening minutes of the second half. He had 11 points, seven assists and five rebounds. ... The Pacers blocked seven shots, including two by Hibbert and two by Gerald Green.

Notebook: Hawks 89, Pacers 86

Matt Winkeljohn, for NBA.com
Posted Thu Nov 08, 2012 12:24 AM - Updated Thu Nov 08, 2012 12:24 AM

THE FACTS: Atlanta's starting backcourt triggered a furious rally Wednesday when Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver paced a late 18-0 run to push the Hawks to an 89-86 win over the Pacers.

Al Horford scored 16 points, Teague 15, Korver 13, and Josh Smith added 11 as the Hawks (2-1) beat the Pacers (2-3) for the 10th straight time in Philips Arena.

When George Hill's layup gave the Pacers an 83-69 lead with 6:34 left in the game, it looked like Indiana would finally win in Atlanta. The Pacers had an 18-0 run of their own in the third quarter during which they turned a 51-50 halftime deficit into a 77-65 lead.

Instead, the Pacers went scoreless for the next 6:13. Teague's 3-pointer with 1:04 left -- his first in three tries on the night and the season -- gave Atlanta an 85-83 lead. Moments after Indiana's Roy Hibbert lost the ball out of bounds, Teague added a runner.

Prior to that, the key to Atlanta's surge was Korver. The 6-7 shooting guard made his first start of the season in part to combat Indiana's size.

His shooting touch mattered more Wednesday. He scored 11 of his 13 in the second half on 4-for-9 shooting, including 3-of-6 treys. Korver scored eight straight points early in Atlanta's 18-0 run. In Atlanta's first 10 quarters this season, he made just 3-of-12 shots and 1-of-10 3-pointers.

Indiana's Lance Stephenson made a 3-pointer with 21 seconds left to pull Indiana within 87-86, but Lou Williams dunked off an in-bounds pass four seconds later and Indiana's Paul George missed a trey with two seconds left.

David West and Hill scored 20 points each for the Pacers.

Zaza Pachulia, who made his first start at center for Atlanta as the Hawks sought to combat the Pacers' size, had six points and 14 rebounds.

QUOTABLE: "It's definitely been frustrating shooting the ball the last couple games. But it's a long season. I just try to stay in the gym and get up a lot of shots." -- Korver

THE STAT: The Pacers entered the game as the NBA's top rebounding team (53.3 per game), and the Hawks were 26th (37.3). Atlanta, however, outrebounded Indiana 51-41, including 16-7 in the final quarter when Teague grabbed five.

TURNING POINT: Obviously, the Hawks' 18-0 run was it. Korver scored 8, Teague 7 and Horford 3 in that span, and the key was rebounding. Atlanta made 7-of-12 shots during the run and outrebounded the Pacers 11-1. Indiana missed all seven shots as the Hawks mixed in zone defense, and the Pacers had four turnovers. Horford blocked a Hibbert shot in that time, and Hibbert's turnover was a fumble.

QUOTABLE II: "On the last few possessions they had, we needed to make a stop and instead they got dunks and easy shots ... and Korver got hot ... I have to catch that ball. I've been having some problems with that lately, so I put that totally on me." -- Hibbert on Atlanta's late surge and his only turnover.

HOT: West scored 12 points in the first quarter on 5-for-7 shooting ... Atlanta's Smith scored nine of his 11 in the first quarter, going to work on the blocks. He made 4-of-5 shots before missing 6-of-7 the rest of the game. . . . Hill scored 10 points in the third quarter, making 3-of-6 shots and 2-of-3 treys, and added two assists, two rebounds and a steal ... Atlanta guards scored 21 of Atlanta's 24 fourth-quarter points. Teague (4-of-7, 1-of-3 treys), Korver (3-of-6, 2-of-3) and Williams (2-of-3, 0-for-1) also combined for seven rebounds three assists and two steals in the period.

NOT: The Pacers made 4-of-19 shots in the fourth quarter while scoring just nine points ... Starters were 1-for-10, although Sam Young did not play in the period ... Atlanta had six of its 17 turnovers in the third quarter, and made just 6-of-22 shots in the period. The bench -- which was outstanding in the second quarter while scoring 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting -- in the third quarter made just 1-of-10 shots. Williams and Devin Harris each took and missed four shots as Atlanta was outscored 27-14 ... Josh Smith missed 4-of-5 free throws.

GOOD MOVE: Drew's decision to go zone in the fourth quarter worked. The Pacers jacked up several poor, usually long shots ... Going big worked for Atlanta, particularly on the boards.

NOTABLE: The Pacers entered the game averaging 20.25 turnovers per game, a league high, and at least 19 in three straight games. They had 15 Wednesday. ... Drew deployed his third different starting lineup of the season in Teague, Korver, Smith, Horford and Pachulia. ... Lance Stephenson has made 5-of-13 3-pointers this season (38.5 percent) after making 4-of-34 (11.8 percent) in his first two seasons. ... After being outscored 48-36 in the paint, Indiana has allowed 140 points in the past three games. ... George has made all eight of his free throws this season.

UP NEXT: For the Pacers, Friday @ Timberwolves, Saturday vs. Wizards, Tuesday vs. Raptors. For the Hawks, Friday vs. Heat, Sunday @ Clippers, Tuesday @ Blazers.

• Pacers: Granger, Pendergraph
• Hawks: Petro

• Pacers: --
• Hawks: Pachulia, Smith

• Lead Changes: 7
• Times Tied: 10

• Arena: Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
• Officials: #41 Ken Mauer, #35 Kane Fitzgerald, #63 Derek Richardson
• Attendance: 10684
• Duration: 2:08