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Final Score: Indiana Pacers defeated Atlanta Hawks 116-108
The Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks met earlier this week and the Pacers edged Hawks in a very well fought contest. After blowing out the Pistons out of Indianapolis in a 37-point blowout game, they were ready once again to host the Atlanta Hawks for their third regular season matchup.
The Hawks, who are at the bottom half of the Eastern Conference Standings, entered this game after a close three-point win over the Cavaliers. This was a close contest with the Pacers up by just three points at the half.
However, the Pacers extended the lead to 16 points at the end of three quarters. Even though the Hawks showed some spirit in the fourth quarter, their late surge fell short as the Pacers ended up winning this game 116-108.
With this win, the Pacers are now on a five-game win streak. They are 3-0 up against the Hawks in the regular season this year. In this article, let us take a look at three talking points from this game.
#3 Six Pacers players scored in double-digits
All the players on the Pacers roster have been scoring a lot this season and are contributing to the best of their abilities to power the team to victory. When the two teams met earlier this week in Atlanta, eight Pacers scored in double-digits to secure the win.
In Indiana, the entire roster once again showed up as six players ended up with double-digit scoring. Bojan Bogdanovic, who is playing the best basketball of his career, scored 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting.
Barring Thaddeus Young who scored 6 points, every other starter scored in double-digits. Darren Collison looked impressive and added 12 points of his own. Off the bench, scored 10 points on 3-for-7 shooting and provided some solid minutes.
#2 John Collins and Rookie Kevin Huerter's strong night
After an impressive rookie season with the Atlanta Hawks, John Collins took his game to another level as he is averaging career-high numbers in all the five statistical categories for a double-double.
Collins powered the Hawks to victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers by posting a double-double only few nights before. Against the Pacers, the 21-year-old was once again the center of attraction as he scored 22 points and snagged 16 rebounds for his 6th straight double-double.
The 20-year-old Rookie Kevin Huerter was selected by the Hawks with the 19th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. He scored season-high 22 points against the Pacers on a 6-for-9 hot shooting from behind the arc. Huerter received 40 minutes of playing time which is a season-high for the rookie. This is the first time he has scored over 20 points in this season.
#1 The Turner-Oladipo-Sabonis trio led the Pacers' offense
Trio's combined stats: 62 points, 20 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 steals and 4 blocks on 57.5 % shooting
Victor Oladipo led the Pacers in scoring with 22 points on 9-for-19 shooting. With 8:30 remaining in the first quarter, Oladipo came off the screen by Turner and knocked down a mid-range jumper to give the Pacers a one-point led.
After missing a lot of games this season due to injury, this was Oladipo's 18th game with 20 or more points in the 25 games he has played this season.
Coming off a 17-point performance on an efficient shooting night, Turner was once again in his elements as he amassed 20 points on an eye-catching 7-for-9 shooting from the field. He also had 8 rebounds and 4 blocks and played a huge part in this victory.
Unfortunately, he broke his nose midway through the third quarter and exited the game. With 2.3 BPG, Turner is leading the league in blocks per game this season.
Sabonis' breakout season continues in the NBA as the 22-year-old who had a double-double against the Pistons was once dominated and scored 20 points in just 27 minutes of action.
