Indiana Pacers Hold Off Atlanta Hawks In Eastern Conference Showdown
In a game that felt more like an All-Star weekend exhibition than a gritty regular-season contest, the Pacers managed to outlast the Hawks 129-124. It wasn’t pretty in the traditional sense, unless you love seeing the scoreboard light up like a pinball machine, but for an Indiana squad fighting for respectability, a win is a win.
Andrew Nembhard Ignites the Pacers Offense Early
The Pacers have had a rough go of it this year. Starting the season 6-31 is the kind of record that makes fans start looking up mock drafts in December. And playing without Tyrese Haliburton, who is out with that brutal Achilles injury, usually spells disaster.
But apparently, nobody told Andrew Nembhard that. Nembhard came out of the gates looking like he was possessed by the basketball gods. He dropped 15 points in the first quarter alone on perfect shooting. He simply couldn’t miss. It didn’t matter what the Hawks threw at him; the net was snapping. He finished the night with 26 points and 10 assists, orchestrating the offense beautifully.
The first half was an absolute offensive explosion for the home team. The Pacers dropped a staggering 45 points in the second quarter alone. They went into the locker room up 80-73. Scoring 80 points in a half is ridiculous; giving up 80 points in a half is a defensive emergency.
Jalen Johnson Bullies the Pacers In Career Night
On the other side of the floor, the Hawks had their own superhero, and his name is Jalen Johnson. He was a man among boys in the paint. He put up his eighth triple-double of the season, finishing with a monster stat line: 33 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. He bullied the Pacers on almost every possession, driving into the lane with an aggression that Indiana just couldn’t match.
The Hawks also welcomed back Zaccharie Risacher to the starting lineup. He looked solid early, providing a nice two-way spark, but the story of the night for Atlanta was Johnson trying to drag his team across the finish line while the defense collapsed around him.
Pacers Capitalize On Hawks’ Mistakes and Foul Trouble
The turning point really came in the second quarter. The Hawks were actually up 48-39 and looking comfortable. Then, Dyson Daniels, one of Atlanta’s few defensive stoppers, picked up his third foul. He got glued to the bench, and the floodgates opened.
The Pacers went on a 9-0 run immediately after Daniels sat down. Indiana capitalized on every single friendly whistle. And while the Pacers were sloppy with the ball (committing 23 turnovers is usually a death sentence), they made up for it by shooting the lights out. They hit 11-of-20 from deep in the first half alone. It turns out you can afford to turn the ball over if you literally never miss when you actually do get a shot off.
Siakam Plays Closer To Sink the Hawks
Despite trailing for most of the second half, the Hawks kept lingering. Late in the fourth, a Johnson three-pointer cut the lead to four. Then, a CJ McCollum bucket off an inbound play cut it to two with just over 30 seconds left. The tension in the building was palpable.
Enter Pascal Siakam. The veteran forward, who finished with 25 points, showed exactly why he’s a champion. With the game on the line and the shot clock winding down, he buried a clutch 12-foot fadeaway jumper with 18 seconds left. It was a cold-blooded shot that pushed the lead back to four.
On the ensuing possession, the Hawks had a chance. But in a moment that perfectly encapsulated the night, they literally threw the game away with a turnover, tossing the ball out of bounds and ending their hopes of a comeback.
For the Pacers, this is a massive morale boost. They’ve now won seven of their last 12 games, proving there is plenty of fight left despite the missing personnel. For the Hawks? They head to Miami on a two-game skid, left to wonder how you score 124 points and still leave the arena with a loss.
