The Hawks three-game winning streak came to an end after a hard-fought battle with the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. Unlike their last meeting; however, the starters for Atlanta came to play in this one.
Dewayne Dedmon led the Hawks in the first half, putting up 13 points and eight rebounds before the buzzer sounded. In the second half, it was Kent Bazemore carrying the Hawks. He would finish the game with 32 points on 14-25 shooting from the field. Both of these players continue to show possible trade suitors their worth.
John Collins pitched in another double-double with 21 points and ten rebounds, and Young added 17 points and nine assists, but it was not enough to top the Pacers. Their balanced scoring attack was just too much for the Hawks, and they remained remarkably consistent all night.
Eight Pacers reached double-figures, and no player scored more than 21 points. Thaddeus Young was their leading scorer, finishing with 21 points and nine rebounds on 9-12 from the field. Victor Oladipo and Bojan Bogdanovic each chipped in 16 points, but the real killers came off the bench in the form of Tyreke Evans and Domantas Sabonis. They each had 19 points and combined for nine rebounds and seven assists.
That was the difference in the game, as the Hawks bench is rarely going to match that type of production. Jeremy Lin was the high-scorer off the bench, adding 12 points. No other reserve had more than six. In total, the Pacers second-unit outscored the Hawks’ twos 54-30.
The good news for Atlanta’s reserves is they got a piece back last night. Omari Spellman returned to action after not playing since November 30th. His role was light, only playing in seven minutes, but he did put up five points and a rebound in the game.
The loss signals the end of a lengthy one-game homestand. The Hawks head to Minnesota to play the Timberwolves on Friday night before returning to State Farm arena to face the Cavs for the third time this season.