Pacers Dominate Hawks, Punch Ticket To Playoffs

1. First Quarter

After being plagued by another slow start against Cleveland, the Pacers roared out of the gate against the Hawks, scoring 8 unanswered points in the first few minutes, forcing an early Atlanta timeout. Myles Turner and Tyrese Haliburton were in perfect sync early, with Turner scoring 11 of the Pacers first 15, and Haliburton providing 5 assists. Pascal Siakam would also get in on the action early, scoring 10. The Pacers would end the quarter up 49-34, shooting 74% overall and 54.5% from 3-point range.  

2. Second Quarter

The Hawks would begin to claw back into the game in the 2nd, as Dejounte Murray led the team back by scoring 18 points and helping the Hawks tie it up at 64 a piece. The Pacers, who would recover from a bit of a shooting slump however, and would quickly retake the lead, and reestablish their offensive dominance, leading 86-72 at the break. Myles Turner had an outstanding half, scoring 18 points and adding 8 rebounds and 4 blocks. Tyrese Haliburton and T.J McConnell would both score 12, and Pascal Siakam would add 17 as well. For the Hawks, Murray would lead the way with 22 points, with Mouhamed Gueye adding 10 of his own. 

3. Third Quarter

Myles Turner would stay hot to begin the 2nd half, scoring at will as the Pacers started to pull away from Atlanta. As the quarter ended, Atlanta began pulling their starters, conceding defeat and not wanting to risk injury to any of their players with their spot in the play-in tournament secured. At the end of the third, the Pacers led 125-93, having outscored Atlanta 39-21 in the period. Myles Turner led Indiana in scoring through 3, having contributed 31 points total.  

4. Fourth Quarter

With the game decided, the Pacers pulled their starters and began emptying their bench. The Hawks would keep some of their starters in, such as Murray and Gueye, but it wouldn’t matter with the Pacer lead so large. The Pacers would get the win, 157-115, matching their season high and punching their ticket to the playoffs.  

5. Top Performers

For Indiana: Myles Turner (31p, 12r, 4b), Pascal Siakam (28p, 6r, 1a), T.J McConnell (17p, 4r, 8a), Tyrese Haliburton (12p, 2r, 13a) 

For Atlanta: Dejounte Murray (32p, 3r, 3a), Mouhamed Gueye (19p, 9r, 3b), Bogdan Bogdanovic (18p, 4r, 1a) 

6. Notes

• The Pacers matched their season-high in points with 157; both times they reached that mark were against Atlanta. In their four games against the Hawks this season, the Pacers scored 157, 150, 126, and 157.  
• The Pacers shot 65% on the day, hitting 52.8% from beyond the arc. The Hawks shot 43.8%, and 33.3% from range. 
• With the win, the Pacers are guaranteed a playoff series, and finish 6th in the Eastern Conference, and will play the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. 
• During the game, Trae Young set the Hawks franchise record for assists, surpassing Doc Rivers. 

7. Next Up

The Pacers will take on the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The Pacers and Bucks have played 5 times this season, with the Pacers taking 4 of those matchups. The Bucks could shorthanded, with Giannis Antetokounmpo nursing a strain in his left calf. The first round of the playoffs will officially begin on April 20th.