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Game Rewind: Pacers 85, Hawks 96

Game Recap

After trailing by as much as 17 points in the first half, the Pacers battled all the way back into the game. A crafty layup from Monta Ellis brought the Pacers' deficit to just one point, and lifted the crowd at Bankers Life Fieldhouse to its feet, as Indiana trailed 65-64 with 3:42 remaining in the third quarter.

From there, however, Atlanta opened up a deflating 19-2 run spanning the third and fourth quarters, as the Hawks went on to win 96-85 on Wednesday night.

"When we got it down to one, we made a few mistakes, gambled a couple times on defense, a couple of turnovers. All of a sudden, the momentum shifted to the other side," said Pacers head coach Nate McMillan after the game.

It was an impressive comeback bid for Indiana, having trailed by nearly 20, but the Hawks, on the second night of a back-to-back, summoned the energy to close the game forcefully, using their scoring run that bridged the game's final two quarters.

After taking the body blow of what was, at its worst, a 23-4 Hawks run, Indiana mustered yet another late rally, using free throws from Paul George, an and-1 from Jeff Teague, and a 3-pointer from Ellis to break an 8-0 run of their own, leaving the Pacers trailing by 12 points with 5:12 remaining.

But just as he had all game, Atlanta center Dwight Howard answered in kind, scoring in the paint to help add to his impressive 23-point, 20-rebound performance against the Pacers.

"We just didn’t squash down on Dwight Howard. I think he had nine offensive rebounds and that’s huge when playing a team like the Hawks. You can’t let them get offensive rebounds and extra possessions. You just have to get into a good flow on offense because they’re a good defensive team," Thaddeus Young said.

If there was one constant of the evening for the Pacers, it was the play of Thad Young, whose 24 points and scrappy plays for loose balls helped give the Pacers a chance against Atlanta. But the play of Howard, combined with the Hawks' final run, proved to be too much for Indiana, as the Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak and the Pacers dropped their third consecutive home game.

Young led the way for the Pacers early on, scoring nine consecutive points for Indiana. But on the other end, Howard proved problematic from the get-go for the Pacers, hitting his first four field goal attempts and racking up eight early points, forcing McMillan to call a timeout.

From there, the Hawks continued to execute on offense, building a 31-24 at the conclusion of the first quarter.

In the second, the bench units traded baskets until the Hawks began to find a groove. As the quarter wore on, the Hawks' offense began to separate itself, going on a 10-0 run to push its seven-point lead to 17, triggering a McMillan timeout with 7:34 remaining in the half.

The gap between the teams was made up primarily of scoring from Howard, who finished the half with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

But despite hitting their nadir of 17 points, the Pacers' starting unit was able to rally at the end of the half, using a 16-4 run to chop their halftime deficit down to just five points entering the locker room.

In the third quarter, although a Myles Turner 3-pointer kicked off the action, Atlanta got back to business, going on a 9-2 run and forcing McMillan to call timeout with 7:35 left in the quarter. Out of the timeout, however, Indiana's starting unit rallied again, using an 11-3 counter to spring back into the game, at one point trailing just 65-64 following the Ellis layup.

Feeling the game tighten, the Hawks reeled off 7-0 burst to put themselves back out in front, taking a 74-66 lead into the fourth quarter.

That streak of offense from Atlanta ended up turning into the Hawks' game-defining 23-4 run, all but sealing the game as Indiana trailed by 16 points with 8:54 remaining in the game.

In search of answers for how to get back on track, Myles Turner offered a simple prescription while at his locker after the game.

"We just need better effort," he said. "And just go out there and show what Pacers basketball is all about."

Inside the Numbers

The Pacers suffered their worst rebounding deficit of the season, getting beat on the glass 56-37, including 17 Hawks offensive rebounds, which led to 19 Atlanta points.

In the second half, Indiana shot just 34.9 percent from the field.

Thaddeus Young's 24 points were his season high.

You Can Quote Me On That

"We just started the fourth kind of slow. We had some changes and guys were coming in cold. Sometimes, you’re going to start off like that and sometimes you have to go with the guys who had gotten us into it. At the end of the day, we have to be able to go out and play each and every day. Right now it’s a tough time because we’ve lost some games. We have to figure out a way to get some wins and get back on the winning side." -Thaddeus Young

"It’s going to take all five guys on the floor. You can’t think one guy is going to keep a guy like (Howard) off the boards. I think we can play harder and we’ll have to play harder to win games." -Pacers head coach Nate McMillan

"Obviously any time you can win on the road it’s good. Our inside play with Paul (Millsap) and Dwight (Howard) was really good. And Malcolm (Delaney) guarded really well on the perimeter. We were happy to get the win on the road." -Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer

Noteworthy

  • Indiana held the Hawks to just five 3-pointers on the night, but the Pacers were a frosty 7-of-27 from long range
  • Indiana's largest deficit was 20 points
  • The Pacers were outscored 48-34 in the paint
  • Against his former team, Jeff Teague had eight assists and 11 points on 5-of-15 shooting

Stat of the Night

The last time the Pacers were outrebounded by 19 or more boards in a game without overtime was January 15 of 2016, when the Pacers fell 118-104 to the Wizards.

Up Next

The Pacers looked to snap their three-game home losing streak against the visiting Brooklyn Nets on Friday night at 8 PM ET Find Tickets »

Home Court Gift Shop Game Night Special

Select Hat - $12. Game Night Specials can be purchased in the Home Court Gift Shop or any of our souvenir stands located on all levels of Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The special is also available online at PacersGear.com until midnight.