Stumbling Hawks return residence to face struggling Pacers

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The Atlanta Hawks, contemporary off one in every of their worst losses of the season, will attempt to bounce again on Saturday once they host the struggling Indiana Pacers.

Atlanta trailed by as many as 42 factors in a 125-114 defeat to the visiting San Antonio Spurs on Friday evening, the Hawks’ fifth loss prior to now six video games.

Indiana misplaced 4 consecutive video games and 6 out of seven earlier than recording a 111-95 street win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday.

This would be the first assembly between the groups this season and the one assembly scheduled for the primary half. The Pacers received two of the three conferences final yr. The Hawks received the ultimate contest in January 2020 to finish a seven-game shedding streak to Indiana.

The Saturday recreation will full the fifth back-to-back for Atlanta, which has break up two and misplaced each video games twice. The Hawks are 0-4 within the second video games.

The Hawks trailed wire to wire towards the Spurs on Friday. The brilliant spot was the play of the reserves, who scored 42 factors within the fourth quarter. Rookie Skylar Mays scored his first profession basket and made 4 3-pointers whereas producing a season-high 20 factors.

“Our starters weren’t excellent, and the second unit did an important job making the evening considerably first rate,” Atlanta coach Lloyd Pierce stated after the loss. “It was good to see Skylar do what he did tonight.”

With the Spurs scoring 77 first-half factors, it was the second straight recreation through which the Hawks skilled a defensive lapse. Atlanta had a meltdown within the fourth quarter in a 118-117 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, then trailed by 30 factors within the first half towards San Antonio.

“We’ve got to get off to a greater begin defensively and produce a distinct method,” Pierce stated. “Now we get to play towards a staff (Indiana) that is bodily and energetic and difficult, and we’ve got to discover a strategy to deliver that very same method.”

The Pacers ended their longest shedding streak of the season towards the Pistons.

Indiana’s offense confirmed indicators of life by capturing 51.2 % on the heels of a 95-point, 39.8 % efficiency towards Utah and a 94-point, 39.1 % effort towards Brooklyn. The Pacers are 6-1 once they shoot 50 % or higher from the sector.

The Pacers had been higher on protection and restricted Detroit to 17.9 % success (5-for-28) on 3-point makes an attempt.

“I believed we guarded the ball higher,” Indiana coach Nate Bjorkgren stated. “We had been disruptive. I believed we had been pressed as much as their shooters on the catch.”

Pacers guard T.J. McConnell stated, “I feel for us, all it comes right down to is protection and getting stops. After we’re actually related defensively, we’re powerful to beat.”

The Pacers are led by Domantas Sabonis, who averages 21.1 factors, 11.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists, and Malcolm Brogdon, who averages 21.3 factors and 6.5 assists.

Sabonis averaged 18 factors and 12 rebounds within the three video games towards Atlanta final season, and Brogdon averaged 17.5 factors and 6.3 assists in two video games towards the Hawks. It will likely be a homecoming recreation for Brogdon, who grew up within the northeast Atlanta suburbs.

–Subject Degree Media

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