The month of February, to this point, has been kinder to the Atlanta Hawks than January was. The team is 2-0 to start the month and hoping to go for three in a row tonight at Philips against the Indiana Pacers.
As I’ve stated before, good things happen when the Hawks play the 76ers. Those good things were on full display Wednesday night as the Hawks crushed the 76ers in Philly 124-86, sweeping the season series 3-0. The Hawks scored at least 124 points in all three contests and won each game by 20+ points. If only we played in the Atlantic Division…
No Hawk starter logged more than 25 minutes on the night and every active player scored at least four points. Mike Scott and Tim Hardaway Jr. led the way for the Hawks with 13 points a piece. It was a total team effort for the Hawks who led by double digits after the first quarter and built on their lead every quarter after that. The 76ers were held below 90 points for the 17th time this season and should be thrilled to not see the Hawks on their schedule the rest of the way.
The Pacers are coming off of a win of their own on Wednesday evening as they went to Brooklyn and took down the reeling Nets 114-100. Much like the Hawks, the Pacers were able to sit their starters late in the game so the two teams should be well rested for tonight’s matchup. C.J. Miles led all scorers with 27 points off the bench, in a go-to scoring role he is thriving in since Rodney Stuckey went down. He’s still a streaky player and can have his off nights at the worst possible times and the Hawks are hoping that he is due for one on Friday.
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These two teams met just over a week ago in Indy, a game in which the Hawks allowed things to get away from them late as the Pacers used a big 4th quarter run to put the game away. Jeff Teague had one of his better performances of late, but Paul Millsap left in the first half with an ankle injury and didn’t return. Kent Bazemore and Thabo Sefolosha kept Paul George in check once again, but it was Monta Ellis that torched the team for 25 points, including five from beyond the arc.
The Hawks will be looking for a little revenge tonight as the Pacers are right on their heels in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Pacers are currently two games behind the Hawks for the 4th seed. The Hawks, on the other hand, are in a dead heat with the Celtics for the 3rd spot. As packed as the East is, a good week can vault you up the standings and a bad week can do just the opposite.
Key to the Game:
Control the Paint: The Pacers are a good rebounding team and a team that likes to control the paint. Their opponents’ FG percentage from inside of 9 feet is one of the best in the league and they are a top 12 rebounding team. The Hawks struggle in both of those categories, although they are a little better than the Pacers on shots inside of five feet, but much worse from 5-9 feet. And we all know that the Hawks likely couldn’t outrebound Kentucky. But without Ian Mahinmi on the inside, the Pacers will rely on Jordan Hill to do the heavy lifting down low. And while Hill is a tick better on the glass, he’s nowhere near the rim protector that Mahinmi is. Look for the Hawks to exploit that hole in the middle early in this game and try to win the battle of points in the paint.
Projected Starting Lineups:
Atlanta Hawks
- PG: Jeff Teague
- SG: Kyle Korver
- SF: Kent Bazemore
- PF: Paul Millsap
- C: Al Horford
Notes: Tiago Splitter (hip) will miss his third straight game
Indiana Pacers
- PG: George Hill
- SG: Monta Ellis
- SF: Paul George
- PF: Myles Turner
- C: Jordan Hill
Notes: Ian Mahinmi (back) and Rodney Stuckey (ankle) are both out for tonight’s game
Other News & Notes:
- With a win, Coach Bud will tie Larry Drew for 7th on the All-Time win list, per Chris Vivlamore
- Korver Watch: Kyle needs just 9 more threes to pass Billups for 8th All-Time
- The Hawks are 16-8 at home vs. 13-14 on the road
- Mike Muscala has played well filling in for Splitter, scoring a season high 12 points on Wednesday
- Tonight’s game will be broadcast on ESPN (TV) and 92.9 The Game (Radio)
Next: Paul Millsap: An All-Star Odyssey
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