Hawks hold off short-handed Pacers 131-128 behind Young’s 47-point effort

The Atlanta Hawks hosted the under-manned Indiana Pacers on Sunday night, and they were able to take advantage and pick up the win. The Hawks beat the Pacers by a final score of 131-128, controlling the majority of the game before the Indiana made things close late.

Atlanta exploded offensively out of the gates, as Trae Young erupted for 33 first-half points, finishing with 47 points and five assists in the win.

Kevin Huerter finished with 14 points, while Danilo Gallinari had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in the win. De’Andre Hunter also had 15 points.

This one was all Hawks in the early going, as Young was hot early with 14 first-quarter points.

Hunter had eight points and two assists in the first half.

The Hawks set a season-high for points in a half on Sunday with 77 points in the first half. They led the Pacers 77-59 at the break.

Atlanta had an outstanding 154 offensive rating in the first half, making 13-of-22 three pointers in the first two quarters. The Pacers were 8-of-16 from behind in the arc in the first half.

Indiana began to threaten the Hawks a bit in the third quarter, when a 15-4 run left the Pacers down just seven points with five minutes left in the period. Atlanta would respond however with a 10-4 spurt to move the lead up to 97-84 with 3:20 left in the third.

Huerter had a pair of huge buckets late in the third to the keep the Hawks out in front, as Atlanta led 105-92 heading to the final quarter.

The Pacers fought back again in the fourth quarter, going on an 8-0 run as the Atlanta offense sputtered down the stretch. Indiana trailed 121-115 with under 3:00 to go. Tyrese Haliburton cut the lead to just three with a three-pointer at the 2:40 mark.

Hunter came to the rescue for the Hawks, getting to the free throw line with a strong drive to the basket. He made a three-pointer moments before.

Atlanta led 125-118 after a basket from Young with 1:53 remaining, and the Hawks were able to hold on for the win from there after a rather wild final 113 seconds.

The Hawks moved to 33-34 on the season with the win, and they sit as the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference heading into their matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night as they complete the back-to-back.

Stay tuned.