The Tank Is On: Hawks Lose vs. Pacers 116-93
By Chris Guest
And so it begins. With no incentive to win games going forward, the Atlanta Hawks put in a disengaged and sleepy effort against the Indiana Pacers Friday night, falling by a final margin of 116-93.
This year’s race to the bottom will be exceedingly tight, and Atlanta held serve in the “competition” for best odds to nab the number one overall draft pick.
The Hawks were dominate top-to-bottom in this game, as the Pacers outrebounded Atlanta 57-40, outassisted them 30-14 and had an immense 17 steals to the Hawks’ 9. Atlanta also committed a humongous 22 turnovers, and though Indiana committed 17 of their own, the Hawks never seemed to take advantage of those miscues.
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The Pacers had six players who scored in double figures and numerous astonishing performances therein. All-Star Victor Oladipo had a bit of an off night on the offensive end, but his overall contributions were impactful, as his stat line would indicate: 14 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks and a +18 box plus/minus.
Lance Stephenson, the apple of Hawks television broadcast partners Bob Rathbun and Dominique Wilkins’ eyes, had a typically erratic but somehow effective game – going off for 13 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals and +15 BPM.
Domantas Sabonis beasted everyone in the post and finished with a game-high 21 points and 13 rebounds. Sabonis seemed undeniable in this spot, as the Hawks were putting up only the faintest whisper of rim protection against the talented second-year player.
Perhaps this listless performance can be attributed to rust after a nine-day layoff for the Hawks after during the All-Star break. John Collins and Taurean Prince participated in the festivities, and they seemed a bit more engaged than, say, Dennis Schröder and Kent Bazemore.