Hawks Top NBA’s Best With Win Over Pacers

HAWKS POSTGAME NOTES:

— The Hawks never trailed and defeated the Pacers at home for the 12th consecutive time in the regular season … Atlanta improved to 13-4 when holding opponents under 100 points.

— The league’s top team in assists (25.3 per game), the Hawks’ 27 assists marked the 34th game (out of 36) this season with at least 20 helpers …  Atlanta’s reserves outscored their counterparts from Indiana 34-25 , as every Hawk to see action recorded at least one assist and converted at least one field goal.

— Atlanta opened the game on a 12-0 run and allowed first quarter season-lows of 12 points and .238 FG% (5-21), giving the Pacers their largest deficit after the first quarter this season… Atlanta also set a defensive first-half best by limiting the Pacers to 32 points on a season-low-tying .325 FG% (13-40) … The 32 points was the Pacers’ season-low for any half.

— Entering the game fourth in 3FGM per game (9.3), the Hawks’ 10 3FGs marked their 16th game this season with at least 10 three’s.

— Atlanta forced 20 Indiana turnovers, marking the fourth time this season the Hawks have forced at least 20 turnovers.

— Pero Antic scored a career-high tying 16 points (6-10 FGs, 3-6 3FGs, 1-2 FTs) and added four rebounds, one assist and a block in 27 minutes … Antic is the second player in NBA history to make at least two 3FGs in each of his first four career starts at center (Tim Thomas).

— Kyle Korver’s third quarter four-point play extended his NBA record of making at least one three-pointer for the 105th consecutive game … The four-point play was the 10th of his career, fifth this season and the 33rd in franchise history … He finished with a game-high 17 points (6-8 FGs, 3-5 3FGs, 2-2 FTs), two rebounds, two assists and a steal in 37 minutes.

— Mike Scott led all reserves with 15 points (5-9 FGs, 1-2 3FGs, 4-4 FTs) … He added four rebounds and an assist in 17 minutes … Over the last four games, Scott has averaged 12.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in 18.3 minutes (.515 FG%, .400 3FG%, .833 FT%).

— DeMarre Carroll contributed 11 points (5-8 FGs, 1-3 3FGs), four rebounds, four assists and a game-high three steals in 39 minutes … Carroll has 11 steals in the last four games (three games with at least three thefts).

— Jeff Teague totaled 15 points, six assists, five rebounds and a steal in 35 minutes … Teague has had a share of the team lead in assists in 33 contests this season.

PACERS NOTES:

— The Pacers outscored the Hawks 17-14 in fast break points, 7-6 in second chance points and outrebounded Atlanta 46-34.

— Paul George recorded his fourth double-double of the season, tallying game-highs of 28 points and 12 rebounds … He added three assists and two steals in 42 minutes.

POSTGAME QUOTES:

HAWKS HEAD COACH MIKE BUDENHOLZER:

(On the game)
“I think that was just great and competitive from the beginning to the end. That’s what we’ve really been talking to the group about, that that was what was going to keep us on track and keep us getting better and improving. I thought the competitive spirit from the very beginning was excellent. It showed on the defensive end. It was one of our best defensive games. In particular the first half, the activity and the energy were very high. DeMarre Carroll, on an individual basis, really set the tone for us with his defense and activity. I thought the offense at times…the ball was moving, people were cutting and spacing…it obviously helps if we make some shots. We got off to a good start with that. I’m just happy for our guys. We have a competitive group and if we keep doing that, we’ll be able to compete with some of the best teams in the league like Indiana.”

(Was the defense responsible for the fast start tonight?)
“I think the defense fueled the offense, and fueled the energy we played offense with. I thought there was just a commitment on the defensive end that spilled over to the offense. People were moving and the ball was moving. We were sharper and crisper. That’s just sometimes how it works. It’s just an energy you get from playing good defense.”

JEFF TEAGUE:

(On his collision at the end of the game)
“I’m alright. He got me on the cheek.”

(On tonight’s game)
“We played hard tonight. We let a couple of games slip, these past couple. We came out tonight with a lot of energy.”

(On Pero Antic’s play)
“He played great tonight. He stretched the floor. He shot the basketball and then he competed on the defensive end. He made it tough for Hibbert tonight, and that’s what we needed.”

KYLE KORVER:

(On tonight’s win)
“We’re trying to re-figure things without Al. it’s going to take a little bit of time. We’re still not there, but I thought tonight was a really great game for our team. We had balanced scoring. Jeff really ran the show well. We knew where we were supposed to be. We had a great film session yesterday. Coach really pointed out a lot of things. We’ve been playing hard the last few games, but we haven’t always been organized. We want to keep playing free, but we need to have a little of organization. I thought our spacing was great tonight. We played with pace. We knew we were playing a really good team. It was a good win for us.”

PACERS HEAD COACH FRANK VOGEL:

(Opening statement)
“I give the Hawks credit tonight. They played well. We didn’t have a strong night tonight. I give our guys credit for coming back in the second half and trying to make it a game.”

(On slow start)
“It was unrecoverable. It pretty much decided the game and determined how we had to play the rest of the game.”

(On fourth game in five nights)
“We knew it was going to be tough, but we make no excuses. You have to win every night when you’re competing for what we’re competing for. (It’s especially tough) with the way Mike (Budenholzer) is using his personnel and the way they’ve adjusted with (Al) Horford out and how they’re using their three-point shooting bigs. It’s a challenging and unique style to play against. With this being our fourth game in five nights and no preparation time to get ready for this style, we knew it was going to be a tough game.”

(On what the Hawks do differently than other teams)
“The spread-five is what we call it. (It’s) the three-point shooting five-man, and the three-point shooting four –man. When you’ve got both bigs on the court as three-point shooters, it makes it a challenge.”

PAUL GEORGE:

(On tonight’s game)
“When you fall behind 12-14 points to start the game off, you give a team like this all of the confidence in the world. Plus they’re playing at home. I felt like that’s where we lost the game. We knew regardless of being down 24 (25) that we still had a chance to win. There were a couple of plays here and there that could’ve helped us get over the hump, but we just didn’t do it. This was definitely a winnable game for us, but it’s a tough stretch. This was four out of five (nights). It’s not an excuse, but it’s nothing to get too down about.”

HAWKS FAN TWEET OF THE NIGHT: