Hawks outrun Pacers in comeback win

1. The Hawks have struggled to contain the Pacers’ transition game but on Thursday night, they got out and ran the floor. The Pacers, who did not have Tyrese Haliburton or Bennedict Mathurin, set a fast pace early and took advantage of the Hawks’ early misses.

But after giving up 31 points in the first quarter, the Hawks slowed the Pacers’ transition game. After getting to their rotations early and forcing them into tough shots, the Hawks got down low quickly. They beat up on the Pacers in the paint.

But it also allowed them to collapse the Pacers’ defense thoroughly, leaving Niang wide open on the perimeter.

“I thought the second half, there was one play in particular where Caris (LeVert) got in the lane and kept his feet and found Georges,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “Plays like that, not only do we get a better shot, but it’s easier for us to defend. Thought that was really important.”

2. Niang scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter in a performance that stretched the Hawks to their biggest lead of the game. With 11:05 to play in the game, he drove from the wing to the paint and let off a floater. Just over 2:30 later, he cut to the basket and made a layup.

Then Niang made consecutive 3s that put the Hawks up 107-102 to force Pacers coach Rick Carlisle to call a timeout. Following the Pacers’ timeout, Niang walked over toward the opposing bench, screaming in celebration before joining the Hawks’ huddle.

Since the trade, Niang has averaged 13.3 points per game all while his 3-point attempt volume has increased.

“I think we’re thinking more about just this group finding itself right now, and as that happens, when guys get more and more comfortable playing with each other, it gets back to our spacing,” Snyder said.

3. While Niang lit up the basket from 3, Young made good on his promise to be better following the team’s loss to the Bucks on Tuesday. Young shot 41.7% overall after making just 33% of his looks in the previous five games.

“We kept moving the ball,” Young said. “We got some shots.”

But Young’s impact on Thursday came from his dimes, as well as his relentlessness on the defensive end. With 6:08 to play, Pacers guard TJ McConnell drove in on Young. The Hawks guard timed McConnell’s spins to look for assistance and swatted the ball down before scooping it up and finding Mo Gueye for a dunk on the other end.

4. Since the Hawks acquired wing Terance Mann, the team has empowered him to shoot the ball with confidence. Leading up to Thursday’s game, Mann has shot 59.3% from deep in a Hawks uniform. The forward made just one 3 on Thursday night but continued his upward trend. He’s scored double figures in six of his last seven games and has averaged 10.2 points over that stretch.

Mann scored 12 points.

5. With the Hawks’ win over the Pacers, it pushed them in the right direction for postseason seeding. The Hawks entered Thursday’s slate of games in ninth place, but the win, along with the Magic falling to the Bulls, bumped them up.

The Hawks now sit half a game ahead of the Magic in the seeding. They’re one game behind the Heat for seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

There’s still a chance the Hawks could make a run for the sixth seed with just six games separating them from the Pistons. But, the Hawks have a tough battle ahead to make that a reality.

Stat to know

25 - The Hawks hadn’t beaten the Pacers since March 25, 2023.

Quotable

“You feel the moments. You feel the connectivity on the court with each other when we play. But it’s not going be perfect, right now.” -- Trae Young on the growing chemistry.

Up Next

The Hawks face the Pacers for the final time on Saturday at State Farm Arena