Pacers pick up where they left off, rout Hawks

[February 24, 2018]  Victor Oladipo showed off his playmaking abilities on an off-shooting night as the Indiana Pacers hammered the visiting Atlanta Hawks 116-93 Friday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Oladipo hit just five of 16 shots for 14 points, but made an impact all over the court. The All-Star finished with nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals.

Domantas Sabonis came off the bench to score 21 points and grab 13 rebounds, and Lance Stephenson added 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Pacers, who have won four in a row and 10 of their last 13.

Isaiah Taylor scored 17 points, and Taurean Prince added 14 points for the Hawks, who committed 22 turnovers.

The Pacers have been one of the bigger surprises of the NBA. They opened the post-All-Star break stretch in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. They also got a key contributor back with the return of Glenn Robinson III, who missed the first four months of the season after undergoing ankle surgery during training camp.

The Hawks are headed in the opposite direction and are tied with Orlando for the fewest wins in the Eastern Conference.

The Pacers turned 13 Atlanta turnovers into 18 points in the first half and separated themselves by closing the second quarter with a 13-5 run. Young hit a layup in the final seconds of the second quarter, sending the Pacers into the locker room with a 61-44 lead. Young led all scorers with 16 points in the first half.

 

Pacers forward Bojan Bogdanovic (44) dunks against the Atlanta Hawks during the first quarter at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta never mounted a serious challenge in the second half and lost its third straight game.

Kent Bazemore finished with 12 points, and rookie Tyler Dorsey came off the bench to add 11 points for the Hawks.

Indiana now heads out on a four-game road swing, beginning in Dallas on Monday.

Atlanta will look to bounce back at home on Monday against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Hawks and Pacers will meet again Wednesday in Atlanta.

--Field Level Media

[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.