Hawks at Pacers
The Atlanta Hawks are roping in victories and look for their seventh straight win when they visit the Indiana Pacers on Monday. Atlanta stretched the winning streak to six by delivering a 96-84 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday and now get a chance to beat the struggling Pacers for the second time this season. Indiana went 0-4 on a four-game road trip and is beginning a stretch in which four of five games are at home.
The Pacers haven’t forgotten their 102-92 loss to the Hawks on Nov. 1 and are aware of Atlanta’s array of players. “They’ve got shooters like Kyle Korver and they’ve got (Al) Horford in the paint,” Indiana guard C.J. Watson told reporters. “They rebound, they push, so it’s not just like a halfcourt team or a strictly transition team. They do a little of both and they’re pretty dangerous.” Forward Paul Millsap led the way with 23 points in Atlanta’s win over the Nuggets.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Indiana
ABOUT THE HAWKS (13-6): A veteran like Korver knows better than to get too excited in early December about the success or failure of a team. That includes his own squad, which is thus far exceeding the expectations most observers were placing on the team. “Every NBA game is tough, but we’ve had a favorable schedule to this point,” Korver told reporters. “We’ve gotten to play some teams that aren’t as high up in the standings as we’re going to play later.”
ABOUT THE PACERS (7-13): Indiana announced Sunday that backup center Ian Mahinmi will be sidelined six to eight weeks after tearing his left plantar fascia during Friday’s loss to Sacramento. Mahinmi was providing solid defense and rebounding for the Pacers and forward Lavoy Allen will likely become the backup to center Roy Hibbert. Allen has just seven points in his last two games as his minutes were reduced when starters David West and Hibbert returned from ankle injuries.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Indiana has won seven of the past 11 regular-season meetings.
2. Atlanta PG Jeff Teague had 25 points in the earlier win over the Pacers, one of his 10 20-point outings this season.
3. Hibbert blocked two shots against Sacramento to raise his career total to 906 and move into fourth place in Pacers’ history, breaking a tie with Dale Davis.