Hawks get tight win in Indiana, defeat Pacers 114-111

The Atlanta Hawks were back in action after a three-day break to face the Indiana Pacers. The Hawks were down a head coach and a few rotational players, but they were able to sneak out with a 114-111 win. Nate McMillan and Jamelle McMillan were not at this game due to Jamelle entering COVID/Health and Safety protocols. Nate McMillan has not tested positive, but stayed away from the game out of precaution as a close contact to Jamelle.

With injuries across the board at the wing position, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot earned the starting nod for the Hawks tonight, and he made an instant impact within seconds.

Despite the Hawks being short on bodies, they offense didn't lose its touch in the first quarter, as they shot 64% from the field and 88% (7-of-8) from three. The Hawks ended the quarter with a 38-29 lead.

Delon Wright and Lou Williams both had big contributions off the bench in the first half, scoring a combined 20 points. Kevin Huerter was also hot in the first half, scoring 15 points.

Trae Young continued his elite play in the first half, exposing the Pacers’ poor pick-and-roll defense, while either getting to his floater or throwing a lob. Young finished the half with 15 points and eight assists, including this lob to John Collins in the closing seconds.

The Hawks went into the half with a 65-57 lead, while still shooting over 60% from three.

The offense continued to roll early in the third quarter, as they built a lead as much as 12 points. The Pacers kept fighting, and eventually went on a 16-4 run late in the third quarter to give themselves a 85-80 lead.

After struggling for most of the first half, Danilo Gallinari came in to give the Hawks three three-pointers, and the Hawks regained the lead early in the fourth quarter. John Collins joined in on the fun, scoring on back-to-back possessions and throwing a crazy pass to Wright while on the floor.

Everytime it looked like the Hawks would build a lead, the Pacers would charge back and hit a timely shot. Young went cold in the fourth quarter, but big shots from the rest of the team kept them in the driver seat.

The game looked over with less than a minute remaining, but with 30 seconds left, Jeremy Lamb hit a corner three to bring the Hawks lead down to one.

With nine seconds left and a 112-111 lead, Young lost the ball and and Malcom Brogdon gained possession. He then passed it to Chris Duarte in transition, and he missed what seemed to be an easy layup. Young grabbed the rebound and went to the line for two free throws to put the game away.

Trae Young finished with his fifth straight 30-point game, scoring 33 points and adding on 10 assists with eight rebounds. Kevin Huerter finished with 19 points, and John Collins finished with 14 points and four blocked shots. Though McMillan didn't coach on the floor tonight, he earned his 700th win at the helm of an NBA franchise with this win.

The Hawks will head home to take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.