The Indiana Pacers secured a playoff spot on Wednesday night with a win over the depleted Atlanta Hawks.
The Atlanta Hawks had their four-game winning streak snapped in Indianapolis on Wednesday night.
The Hawks rested several players in this game, as their playoff positioning was secure, regardless of the outcome. The Pacers clinched a playoff berth with the win and they will be the seventh-seed in the Eastern Conference after their 104-86 win over Atlanta.
Hawks will rest tonight vs. Pacers: Millsap, Howard, Bazemore, Schroder, Hardaway all OUT. Sefolosha probable.
— Chris Vivlamore (@CVivlamoreAJC) April 12, 2017
The Pacers rode an excellent performance from Paul George, who carried his team to the playoffs like the star that he is. George finished with 32 points, on 12-of-21 shooting, and grabbed 11 rebounds. Indiana will go as far as George takes them and they need this George every night.
But George was not the only Pacer that showed out against the Hawks’ squad of reserves. Former Hawk Jeff Teague scored 19 points and dished out seven assists in this game. Teague helped break the game open in the third quarter when he scored 13 points in that frame. The longtime Hawks also committed just one turnover.
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Teague clearly outplayed Jose Calderon, who was just alright in getting the start tonight. Calderon finished with 12 points (5-of-8 shooting) and five assists in 30 minutes. He was not terrible and his level of play in this game would make him a decent backup point guard in the postseason.
Ersan Ilyasova and Mike Muscala had a fun big-man battle against Myles Turner, who had a great game. Turner anchored Indiana’s paint defense with six blocks to go along with his 18 points and eight boards. Ilyasova led the Hawks in scoring with 15 points and did some good work in the pick-and-roll with Calderon. Muscala added 10 points off of the bench to continue his solid play off of the bench.
DeAndre’ Bembry made his first start of the year, alongside fellow rookie Taurean Prince, on the wing. Bembry pitched in seven points and seven rebounds in a mediocre performance. Prince added 11 points of his own. Malcolm Delaney was the only other Hawk in double figures with 10 points.
The Hawks just didn’t get enough offense going in this game and committed too many turnovers to keep a rhythm. They turned it over 18 times, to Indiana’s 10, and shot just 41.7 percent from the field. This is no reason to panic because of the players that were resting but was ultimately a black eye on the game.
There was no go-to scorer in hand for the Hawks and that had them overmatched against a Pacer team that had its star going off. This night was all about George and he made his final argument for being an All-NBA player.
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But the Hawks are still headed to the playoffs for a tenth-straight year and should be well rested for Game 1 on Sunday in Washington D.C.