95
88
Thursday, May 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET at Philips Arena
Game Rewind: Pacers 95, Hawks 88, Game 6
Scott Agness | May 1, 2014
Game Recap
The Pacers entered Thursday’s game in Atlanta on the brink of elimination, trailing 3-2 in the best-of-seven series to the eighth-seeded Hawks. Pacers coach Frank Vogel utilized different lineups, going small to match the Hawks’ size and foot speed and it proved to be effective.
David West, the backbone of the Pacers, was the ‘Bad Man’ that he is down the stretch, scoring 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter. After Hawks center Pero Antic knotted the game at 85, West beat his defender and sank a jumper with 46.5 seconds left to put the Pacers in front for good. In their 95-88 win at Philips Arena, the Pacers closed the game on a 16-4 run to extend the series and force a decisive Game 7 on the court — in Indianapolis Saturday night.
The Hawks scored 12 unanswered points to open up a 10-point lead just over the midway point of the first quarter. At this point, Vogel went to a small ball lineup with Chris Copeland. The Pacers, who were dominated on the glass in the early going, used a 9-2 spurt, capped off by a 3-pointer from Copeland, for a two-point edge at the end of the first.
Vogel made another lineup change to begin the second period, utilizing veteran Rasual Butler rather than Evan Turner. Paul George, who played the game’s first 17 minutes, scored eight points in second frame, as did Lance Stephenson. The smaller lineup rebounded more effectively and guys were quicker to get out on shooters. Atlanta made just 34 percent of its shots in the first half, including 23 percent (5-of-22) from deep. George Hill buried a 28-footer as the quarter concluded, which put the Pacers up 44-39 — their first halftime lead in the series.
The Pacers moved in front by nine on a bucket from George, but then he had to sit the final five minutes of the third quarter with four fouls. During the span, the Hawks used a 19-7 run, including 12 from Jeff Teague, to push back in front, 67-64. Previously in this series, the Pacers were 0-3 in games in which they trailed after three quarters.
The Hawks took a two-possession lead on a jumper from Teague with just over three minutes left. From there, the Pacers chipped away at it. West hit a couple free throws, then banged in a 19-foot jumper. After Antic missed badly on a 3-pointer, George Hill got into the lane and scored on a layup — and the Pacers never trailed again.
During a timeout near the end of the game, West and George got together and knew one of them had to take over. West handled the majority of the work with George as a nice compliment (nine fourth-quarter points).
The Pacers did what they needed to do — defend the arc, keep the Hawks off the foul line, and not turn the ball over (13) — to live another day and force a Game 7.
Inside the Numbers
David West led the Pacers in this one with his first postseason double-double this year, 24 points and 11 rebounds, along with six assists and two steals. Paul George scored 24 points (9-of-10 at the foul line), the fifth time in six games he’s tallied at least 24.
Lance Stephenson finished with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting, and nine rebounds. It’s the first game in this series that the Pacers have won when he’s scored in double figures (3-1). George Hill scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half.
Jeff Teague tallied a postseason career-best 29 points, going 9-of-9 at the foul line. Paul Millsap scored 16 and pulled down a game-high 18 rebounds, which tied his postseason career-high. Lou Williams contributed 16 points off the bench.
The Pacers held the Hawks to 25.7 percent shooting behind the arc, and it was the first time this series the Hawks failed to hit double-digit triples. The Pacers also attempted more foul shots (23-of-27) than the Hawks (21-of-24) for the first time in the series.
For the fourth time this season, the Pacers didn’t score in transition. The Hawks, meanwhile, had 11 fast-break points.
Quoteworthy
“Gutsy win for our guys. Very proud of them for not only playing a good basketball game but overcoming a few furious runs by the Hawks, especially late in the third quarter.” – Frank Vogel
“(He has) poise and composure. When a team is making a run like that and you’re dealing with an eight seed trying to knock off a one seed in their building and the place is erupting on every play, (it’s great to have) somebody out there with that level of composure. He just really settles everybody down. He’s our rock. There’s no other way to put it.” – Frank Vogel on David West
“We tried some different lineups tonight. Coach (Vogel) just rolled the dice. … I thought our team did a great job of closing the show. We got enough stops. Ian [Mahinmi] was great on [Paul] Millsap, and it paid off for us.” – David West
“This whole playoffs is about possessions. I thought we just did a great job of getting good look. We had moments where we were a little shaky but we just did a great shot of getting a shot, a good shot, an open shot, every possession down.” – Paul George
“It’s going to be a tough game. They know as well anybody that they can beat us on our floor. We’re not scaring them in that aspect, but we just have to come out and be the aggressors and keep the tempo in our favor.” – Paul George on Game 7
Stat of the Game
Over the final three minutes, the Pacers got stops defensively (Hawks missed five of their final six shots) and outscored the Hawks, 16-4.
Noteworthy
- The Pacers were previously 0-4 in franchise history when playing Game 6 on the road and trailing 3-2.
- Double technical were given to George Hill and Mike Scott in the final minute of the first half. Pero Antic and Kyle Korver each received one in the third quarter.
- Philips Arena was sold-out, with every fan receiving a red t-shirt featuring the Hawks’ alternative logo.
Up Next
Game 7: Saturday, May 3 vs Atlanta at 5:30 PM ET
Select seats remain for Saturday's Game 7 against the Hawks. Find Tickets »
The Pacers have announced all fans in attendance for Game 7 of the First Round matchup against the Atlanta Hawks will receive a free gold T-shirt upon arrival to their seats. The T-shirt will feature the Playoff theme of Blue Collar Gold Swagger. Gold Out Returns »
