Outpaced in Indiana

Well, tonight's game between Atlanta and Indiana started out pretty well. After one quarter of basketball, the score was tied at 26. But then, the pesky Pacers stepped on the gas and outscored the Hawks 32-17 in the second quarter. Things got a lot worse for the good guys, when the home team put together a 27-20 3rd quarter. Going into the fourth, Atlanta trailed by an insurmountable 22 points, 85-63.

Refusing to go quietly, the Hawks put together a tremendous 4th quarter rally, aided by 10 Pacer turnovers and cut Indiana's lead to 98-92 with 19 seconds remaining. But, there was too little time left on the clock. Led by Roy Hibbert's 17 points and 13 rebounds, the Pacers did just enough to hold off the charging Hawks. The final score from tonight's contest is Indiana 100, Atlanta 94. Josh Smith had 20 points,3 rebounds,4 assists,4 steals,and 2 blocks. But, Atlanta falls to 39-32, while the Pacers improve their record to 44-27 on the season.

Hawks at Pacers

Josh Smith and Atlanta's 39 win Hawks are on the road tonight, as they take on the hoosier state's Pacers. Allowing less than 90 points per game, Indiana has become one of the toughest teams in the eastern conference. Former Georgetown Hoya, Roy Hibbert averages 2.7 blocks per game and anchors a squad that leads the NBA in rebounds.

With 12 games left in the regular season, Atlanta is currently 5th in the east, with only one more victory than Chicago's 6th placed Bulls. Danny Granger and David West will miss tonight's game, along with George Hill and Lance Stevenson. However, the Pacers will be led by small forward Paul George, who averages 17.7 points per game in his second NBA season.

Leading the charge for Atlanta will be power forward/center Al Horford, who averages 17.5 ppg along with 10.3 rebounds per contest. Alongside the former Florida Gator will be Johan Petro, who likely starts in the 5 spot and the electrifying Josh Smith at small forward. Atlanta needs the victory, but the task is a lot tougher without Devin Harris, who is sidelined with an injury to his left foot.

Update: Indiana outscored Atlanta 32-17 in the second quarter, to take a 58-43 lead into the half. Josh Smith leads the Hawks with 17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block, as he continues to fill up the stat sheet. For the Pacers, shooting guard Orlando Johnson (averages 3.7 ppg) tallied 15 points to go with 3 rebounds and 2 assists in the first half.

Hawks vs Pacers

At 16-9, the Atlanta Hawks have gotten off to a very good start, regardless of the fact they've been Al Horford-less for most of the season. But, 15's absence is starting to cause deficiencies on the glass. Recently, Atlanta has lost 3 straight games and has fallen 7 spots from 10th to 17th in the league in rebounds over the last 10 contests. That ain't good.

In just a few minutes, the Hawks will tip off against a 17-7 Pacers squad that ranks third in the NBA in rebounds (44.6 a game) and 5th in points allowed. Led by the tandem of Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert, Indiana has quickly become a contender in the East.

Atlanta will win...if Ivan Johnson and Zaza Pachulia put forth great efforts in the paint and Marvin Williams re-discovers his 3 point shooting ability.