The Indiana Pacers were not going to fall down 2-0 at home against a team that entered the playoffs six games under .500. Paul George made sure of that by putting up 27 points on 9-of-16 from the field and outplaying Hawks small forward DeMarre Carroll.
That’s really where the difference was in this game. Carroll couldn’t get anything going offensively, shooting 2-of-5 from the field and netting just five points. In fact, it matched his lowest point output since the middle of February. While the Hawks haven’t necessarily relied on the 2009 first-round pick for a ton of offense, he needed to actually perform better against Indiana’s best player. Being outscored by over three dozen simply isn’t going to get it done.
Unfortunately for the Hawks, the backcourt duo of Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver combined for just 17 points on 7-of-18 from the field. This comes on the heels of them going for a combined 40 points on Saturday.
"We got some run outs, and obviously Paul got going, hit some shots for us, which was big." – David West pic.twitter.com/ghC7KUaKVP
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 23, 2014
For the Pacers, Luis Scola rebounded from a disastrous Game 1 performance to put up 20 points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench. Joining Paul George and Scola in double figures were George Hill (15) and C.J. Watson (10) for a balanced Pacers team in the 101-85 victory.
Atlanta led by four points at the half before the Pacers stormed out of the gate in the second half with their playoff lives seemingly on the line. They outscored the underdog Hawks 31-13 in the third quarter to take a double-digit lead entering the final stanza. That’s a complete turnaround from the third quarter of Game 1 when Atlanta outscored Indiana 30-16 to take a commanding lead.
By no means does this loss indicate that Atlanta is in trouble. Its goal of splitting in Indiana was ultimately achieved. Now Mike Budenholzer’s squad must maintain its high level of play and sweep at home before heading back to Indiana. That’s where this series may be decided, not a Game 2 home win by the favored Pacers who were down 1-0 heading in.
Photo: Brian Spurlock, USA Today