Atlanta got Indiana at exactly the right time.
The Pacers couldn’t shoot early, couldn’t defend most of the night, couldn’t protect their home court and kept All-Star center Roy Hibbert on the bench for the final 30 minutes — all against a team that still hasn’t clinched a playoff spot.
Jeff Teague scored 25 points in his hometown, Pero Antic finished with 18 and the Hawks handed the NBA’s best home team an embarrassing 107-88 loss Sunday that could have a major impact on playoff seeding in the East.
“I think as many games as we play, sometimes you just have a half like that,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I think we participated in it some, but I think we just caught them on a rough night.”
The truth is the Hawks (34-42) are back on track.
— Associated Press
