Game Rewind: Pacers 135, Hawks 134

It may not have mattered for playoff seeding, but tonight's regular season finale was still electric, as Edmond Sumner provided last second heroics to give the Pacers a 135-134 win over the Hawks in Atlanta.

Trailing 131-130, Sumner made a jump shot to put Indiana back in front, 132-131 with 36.2 seconds to play. The teams traded misses on their next possessions, giving Atlanta the ball with 3.6 seconds left. Taurean Prince drilled a 3-pointer with 1.1 remaining, just enough time for one more shot from Indiana.

On a 3-point attempt from the corner Sumner was fouled before the clock expired. Sumner stepped up to the free-throw line and nailed all three, giving the Pacers win No. 48 on the season.

“He was very aggressive, and he hit big free throws," Pacers head coach Nate McMillan said. "It reminded me of the NCAA game, where we get fouled and then you have to step up and make three, and all three were solid."

It was a much different looking Pacers squad tonight, as Darren Collison was the only regular starter in the starting lineup. But even with some of the team getting some extra rest before the playoffs, the Blue & Gold played hard all night.

Behind 10 early points from Tyreke Evans, Indiana led 14-12 at the 6:50 mark of the opening quarter. After the game was tied at 21, the Pacers put together an 11-3 run to lead 32-24 with 1:45 to go in the first. Heading into the second, the Pacers led by seven, 35-28.

By the 7:54 mark in the second quarter, the visitors had a double-digit lead, 52-42. Indiana continued to lead by 10, 58-48, but then Atlanta ran off 10 straight to tie the game with 4:38 left in the first half.

The final minutes of the second quarter were a back-and-forth affair, with the Pacers ahead by just four, 73-69, heading into the locker room.

In the third, Indiana was able to hold off multiple advances from Atlanta. After the Pacers' seven-point lead was cut to three at the 3:20 mark, Indiana outscored Atlanta 11-8 to take a 109-103 lead into the final quarter.

The Pacers led by 10 early in the fourth, but with 5:41 to play, the advantage was just two, 121-119. But fortunately Indiana made just a few more plays than Atlanta to pull out the win in the end.

Indiana was led by 28 points and 10 rebounds from T.J. Leaf. Evans scored 27 and Sumner finished with 22 points.

For Atlanta, Trae Young and Prince each scored 23 points. John Collins had a big night, finishing with 20 points and 25 rebounds.

“It was good [to get a win], especially since we had dropped a couple now, so just going in with a little bit of momentum and some confidence," Leaf said. "We know what we can do in this locker room, so we are excited to get to Boston and to get the series going.”

The Pacers' 73 points in the first half were a season high.

Cory Joseph played in all 82 games for the second season in a row.

T.J. Leaf had a huge night. His 28 points and 10 rebounds were both career highs, and it was his first career double-double.

"Some guys needed rest, some guys needed to play, and some guys got the opportunity. I thought our guys tonight, they played, they played hard. We wanted to play this game to win it even though we had a number of guys out, and I thought our guys came out and played solid for 48 minutes.” - Pacers head coach Nate McMillan

“That was the goal, just to approach it as a regular season game, and make a statement. Go in, get this win, help our confidence and get us prepared for Boston." - Pacers guard Tyreke Evans

The Pacers start the postseason against the Celtics in Boston. Date and time forthcoming.

The Pacers will face Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics in the First Round of the playoffs. Tickets are on sale now! Find Tickets »

Jack's Donuts: Visit your local Jack's Donuts the day after a Pacers victory and mention the Pacers win to receive a free twelve ounce coffee with any purchase. Visit JacksDonuts.com to find the Jack's Donuts nearest you.