Hawks battle back from a 15-point deficit, fueled by a scorching third-quarter run and clutch shooting to secure a dominant home victory.
The Atlanta Hawks picked up their third straight victory in Monday's 132-116 win over the Indiana Pacers. The win pushes Atlanta to 23-25, and this second-straight win at State Farm Arena is huge for the team's push back to .500. It was a rare matinee tip-off due to poor weather conditions in Atlanta.
Despite being down for most of the game, this victory against the Pacers was one the Hawks absolutely had to have at home against the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference, Indiana.
Atlanta led by 10 points with under 6 minutes to play, and had its feet completely on the gas pedal in the second-half, which resulted in a smooth sailing fourth quarter and a 16-point victory.
Dyson Daniels may have found some of his offensive resurgence in this one, as he hit a three-pointer for the first time in over a month.
The Hawks had three players score 20+ points (Nickeil Alexander-Walker, CJ McCollum, and Dyson Daniels), and eight players scored 10 or more.
Center Christian Koloko made the most of his minutes and added 12 points. His size also provided a strong presence in the paint, and it will be interesting to see how the Hawks use him going forward. Zaccharie Risacher and Kristaps Porzingis remain out.
"I think there's one, the fit to a need in that his ability to give us minutes at that position is very important, said Hawks head coach Quin Snyder on Koloko's efforts. "His ability to protect the rim is unique for our group right now."
Atlanta has won three in a row since Koloko joined the team.
The Pacers led by 15 mid-way through the third quarter, but it was the Hawks who took a three-point lead into the fourth. The third quarter featured a 21-7 run, which ultimately got Atlanta right back in this game. The Hawks were absolutely red-hot shooting the basketball after being down 15, and Indiana cooled down considerably.
C.J. McCollum caught fire to end the first half, which included a stretch of three 3's in 45 seconds. He added 17 points in the first half and finished with 23 points (team high).
Alexander-Walker also added five made threes in the winning effort. Jalen Johnson added 15 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.
Atlanta will have Tuesday off, but its next two games come against the Celtics and Rockets, in a Wednesday-Thursday back-to-back. There are eight games left on the Hawks' schedule until the All-Star break, but this three-game winning streak is promising for the team's future outlook.