Pacers 111, Hawks 92
INDIANAPOLIS -- Guard Monta Ellis scored 25 points and rookie forward Myles Turner added 20 in his first career start to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 111-92 victory against the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Indiana (24-22) finished the game on a 23-2 run during the final 5:32 after falling behind 90-88. The Pacers snapped a three-game losing streak and are 21-4 when leading after three quarters.
Guard George Hill added 18 and forward Paul George had 11 for Indiana despite making only 2 of 11 field goal attempts.
Forward Jeff Teague had 20 for Atlanta (27-21), and center Al Horford added 14.
Hawks forward Kent Bazemore's two free throws with 6:32 remaining tied it at 88 and Horford's dunk at the 5:52 mark gave Atlanta a 90-88 lead. Hill's 3-pointer with5:32 to go put the Pacers back in front 91-90.
George made three free throws at the 5:04 mark, and Ellis sank two more with 4:46 remaining for a 96-90 Indiana lead. A dunk from Ian Mahinmi at 4:27 to go gave the Pacers a 98-90 lead. Another Ellis layup made it 100-90.
Hill opened the fourth quarter with consecutive baskets for an 86-75 Pacers' lead. Atlanta bounced back with a 7-1 run capped by a Teague layup, slicing the Indiana lead to 87-82 with 9:06 remaining, prompting a Pacers' timeout.
Back-to-back field goals from Turner pushed Indiana into a 70-65 lead with 4:36 remaining in the third quarter. Two Paul George free throws extended the advantage to 72-65. An Ellis 3-pointer with 52 seconds to go in the period gave Indiana an 82-73 lead before the Hawks got the quarter's final basket to slice the deficit to 82-75.
The Pacers used a 13-3 second-quarter run as the springboard to a 51-44 halftime lead, led by 10 points from Turner and eight each from Ellis, George Hill and Jordan Hill. Indiana limited Atlanta to 40 percent first-half field goal shooting.
Indiana also outrebounded the Hawks 24-19 during the first 24 minutes, led by nine from Lavoy Allen. The Pacers had eight first-half turnovers, and George was held scoreless but still managed to lead by seven.
Indiana shot 45.2 percent during the opening half, including a combined 7 of 9 from George Hill and Jordan Hill. Teague, an Indianapolis native, had 11 first-half points for Atlanta, and Horford added eight during the first 24 minutes.
NOTES: Pacers rookie F/C Myles Turner made his first career start, replacing Lavoy Allen. Turner was averaging 19.6 points in his five most recent games. ... Indiana again played without G Rodney Stuckey (right foot sprain, bone bruise). ... The game was a homecoming for Atlanta G Shelvin Mack, who played college basketball at Butler, located several miles north of Bankers Life Fieldhouse. ... The Hawks were playing the second game of a back-to-back, having lost 85-83 on Wednesday night to the Los Angeles Clippers in Atlanta. ... The Pacers lost to the Clippers 91-89 on Tuesday in Indiana's most recent game. ... Beginning with a Jan. 4 loss at Miami, Indiana came into Thursday's game having lost eight of its last 12, including consecutive home losses to Washington and the Clippers. ... Indiana F Paul George ranks eighth in NBA scoring at 23.9 points per game. Atlanta ranks second in assists per game (25.5) and second in opponents' turnovers per game (16.7). ... Indiana also forces 16.7 turnovers per game, sharing that category's No. 2 spot with the Hawks. ... Indiana defeated Atlanta 93-87 on Dec. 28 in the first of four regular-season meetings between the teams.