Halftime Report: Someone guard Ken Mauer, he's dominating the Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks have gotten good efforts from the backcourt of Jeff Teague(16 pts) and Devin Harris (10 pts), each scoring in double-digits, and Al Horford (8 pts) has provided the majority of the interior scoring. The pick-and-roll has been extremely effective for the Hawks, and they will need to continue to hammer the Pacers with it if Hibbert continues to refuse to step out on Horford.

The Hawks have struggled to run the Pacers off of the three-point line as Indiana has gone 6-of-9 from beyond the arc. Both teams are shooting around 50% from the field and are even with rebounds at 19 a piece (6 offensive). The difference has been turnovers and free throws (again).

Atlanta has 10 turnovers leading to eight Pacers points, while Indiana has just seven turnovers for three Atlanta points. The referees continue to be a major factor in the series, as the two teams have a combined 27 fouls in the first half (12 for Indiana, 15 for Atlanta). Josh Smith (7 pts) has played just 11 minutes after getting a pair of quick fouls in the first quarter, then returning briefly before picking up his third foul mid-way through the second. Devin Harris picked up a technical foul for arguing a call with referee Ken Mauer, and then Mauer dropped another RIDICULOUS technical on Al Horford later for simply ripping his arm away from Jeff Pendergraph after a foul.

The Hawks, while down nine, have been vastly improved offensively in this game, and are doing a better job on the glass. If they cut down on their turnovers and can do a better job challenging Indiana's three-point shots, the Hawks still have a good opportunity to steal one on the road and even up the series.