Indiana Pacers Snap 3 Game Losing Streak, Defeat Hawks 111-92 F

The Indiana Pacers coming into Thursday’s game had lost 5 of their last 6 games, 3 in a row. They snapped that streak Thursday night defeating the Atlanta Hawks (27-21) 111-92.

(@Pacers)

INDIANAPOLIS|IN – The story of this game comes with one player in mind, Rookie Myles Turner making his first start of his professional career and did not disappoint. He finished the game with 20 points, 6 rebounds and a block. Turner provided the spark that this team has so desperately been looking for the past few weeks. Head Coach Frank Vogel expressed that this decision was made

(@Pacers)

because Turner deserved it after his play in the past 5 games and was excited to see what he would provide. Shaking up the line-up in a ‘must win’ game was the exact receipt in which the Atlanta Hawks only lead the game for a matter of seconds. The Pacers controlled the game from start to finish, although they did come out in the first quarter looking a little bit sluggish turning the ball over on three consecutive possessions.

One of the strange occurrences of the night included All-Star Paul George, who at halftime had 0 points and 3 fouls. This is extremely unusual to see from George but ended the game just 2-11 FG with 11 points. The fact that George had an off night helped open up some other avenues in scoring, including SG Monta Ellis who had an outstanding game posting 25 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals. CJ Miles & Jordan Hill provided great depth on the bench in Thursday’s game combining for 15 points in the second quarter when Paul George was struggling. Lavoy Allen, who previously held the starting role for the Pacers as power foward came off the bench and played 20 minutes with a season high of 12 rebounds.

The ability for the Pacers to spread the floor and move the ball effectively helped them snap this losing streak. This is going to continue to be a key component of the Pacers offense if they want to stay contenders in the Eastern Conference. One of the best parts of the Pacers play in this game came from locking down 3 point specialist Kyle Korver. Just about an hour before tip-off Korver was seen draining consecutive threes from all over. He knocked down over 30 three pointers before missing one during warm-ups. The Hawks only managed to shoot 25% from the three point arch, which is unlike them as they average 35% from behind the line.

It remains to be seen if the Pacers can continue to build off this win, as the Hawks currently sit in the number three slot in the Eastern Conference standings. If the Pacers can continue to beat teams that are ahead of them in the standings and stay healthy, I see them sliding into the top 5 teams in the East by April. If Myles Turner can continue to impress on the floor, he will remain in the starting lineup for the future which could play a huge factor for the Pacers in the last two months of the season. If the Pacers can continue to manage the ball and spread the floor, this team can hold any team in the conference to a tightly contested game.

The Pacers next game is at home against the Denver Nuggets (17-29) at 7pm ET.

Written by Jordan Maly