Hawks out to tame Pacers for second time this season
The Atlanta Hawks will try to continue to change their lack of success at home on when they host the Indiana Pacers on Monday.
Atlanta beat the Phoenix Suns 110-103 on Friday and has won two straight games. But the Hawks are only 8-13 at home - only two teams in the Eastern Conference have fewer home wins - and Friday's win ended a two-game homecourt losing streak.
"You always want to play well at home," Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said. "To be able to come out (against Phoenix) and be able to go right down to win in front of our own crowd is really important. People can feel the way our team competed on the defensive end late. That's what won the game."
The Pacers stunned Oklahoma City 117-114 on Friday to end a three-game losing streak. Jarace Walker started his 14th game of the season and scored a career-high 26 points on 8-for-15 shooting, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
"This was an enormous moment for him in his young career," Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. "He showed all the things he can do out there, from the shooting to the driving to the defense to the rebounding to the passing."
The victory was pleasing to Carlisle, whose team has struggled without Tyrese Haliburton, who has missed the entire season since suffering a torn right Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The Pacers have the second-worst record in the East.
"Very happy for the guys," Carlisle said. "Been a difficult year, but it's been a fun year. I mean, it's fun competing with these guys and we're going to continue to have that kind of attitude about it."
Veteran Pascal Siakam leads the Pacers in scoring (23.8) and averages 6.9 rebounds. Bennedict Mathurin averages 17.8 points.
The Hawks overcame 21 turnovers that led to 30 points and still managed to beat the Suns. Nine turnovers came in the third quarter when Atlanta blew an 11-point lead.
"We had poor spacing and we were playing in the crowd and we didn't pass," Snyder said. "Those things kind of go together. And when we did pass, we had a bad pass. We just didn't have ball security and we didn't focus on the little things that allow us to move the ball for it not to stop when the ball sticks with our group."
Atlanta's Jalen Johnson, who averages 23.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and eight assists, is coming off his 30th double-double. He fell one assist short of his eighth triple-double with an outing that included 23 points and 18 rebounds. Nickeil Alexander-Walker averages 20.3 points and newly acquired CJ McCollum averages 17.3 points in seven games since joining the team.
The Pacers played Friday without Mathurin (right thumb sprain) and Quinton Jackson (right ankle sprain). Jackson may return Monday after missing one game. Atlanta played again Friday without Kristaps Porzingis (left Achilles) and Zaccharie Risacher (left knee bone contusion). Risacher is being re-evaluated and is close to a return after missing eight games.
This is the second of three meetings between the teams this season. Atlanta won the first game 128-108 on Oct. 31 in Indianapolis behind Johnson's 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.