Atlanta Hawks: Rapid Reactions to a 97-89 Loss to Indiana

Rapid reactions to a 7th straight loss for the Atlanta Hawks, this time to the Indiana Pacers by a final margin of 97-89.

The Atlanta Hawks ended their road trip tonight in Indy, trying to pick up their first victory as a road team since October 21st. They failed to do so, losing to the Pacers 97-89.

The game was a bit odd for both teams with neither playing their best ball. It was a back-and-forth match of scoring runs, as they each shared multiple double-digit runs, and it seemed as if neither could fully pull away. The Hawks went cold late in the third quarter and never got their shot back.

The Pacers struggled out of the gate due to their star player Victor Oladipo suffered a knee injury in the opening minutes, from which he did not return. They found their groove in the second half, however, replacing Oladipo’s scoring and play making with an unlikely source.

Rookie Aaron Holiday, playing for the first time in almost a month, played like a true veteran tonight, scoring 12 points in just 15 minutes while also playing some good defense on our own rookie Trae Young.

The Hawks, on the other hand, were not able to find a replacement for Taurean Prince, who was out again tonight with an ankle injury.

More than anything tonight, the Atlanta Hawks just couldn’t score, especially in the final periods. The Hawks’ 32 2nd quarter points nearly eclipsed the 33 scored in the final 24 as a whole. They failed to score at least 18 in both of the final two, and went ice cold from nearly everywhere on the court.

They finished the game making just 27% of their 29 three-point attempts and missed 8 free throws; neither of those totals are going to get it done.

Jeremy Lin was the Hawks’ lone consistent scorer tonight, making 7 of 11 shots for 16 points to go along with his 4 assists. He also continues to heat up from deep, making 2 tonight.

https://twitter.com/ATLHawks/status/1063976441929445377

John Collins had himself a great return to action, scoring 12 points in his limited minutes off the bench. He also had a nice block and a couple of boards. He’ll no doubt be back in the starting lineup before long.

The Pacers turned the ball over early and often (a total of 22 times), but the Hawks were never able to take advantage of them.

Box Score Notes

• Trae Young has had a rough couple games now, scoring just 9 tonight and again failing to make a three. Despite that, he has still started the season quite well, especially in the 4th quarter of games.
• Coach Lloyd Pierce had a 12-man rotation tonight, even without Taurean Prince. Alex Poythress, who got the start tonight, could be battling Omari Spellman for who gets sent to G-League’s Erie first when Collins and Prince are both healthy.

Ultimately, the team didn’t make the adjustments they needed to, and the Pacers did. The Hawks suffered their 13th loss of the season, and will look to avoid their 14th when they play next, on Monday back home.