NBA Preview from The Sports Network
Wednesday, November 7th
(All times eastern)
Indiana Pacers (2-2) at Atlanta Hawks (1-1), 7:30 p.m.
(Sports Network) - The Indiana Pacers will try to bounce back from a lopsided
loss when they visit the Atlanta Hawks for this evening's contest at Philips
Arena.
The Pacers fell to 2-2 this season after getting dealt a 101-79 setback Monday
night in San Antonio. It marked the first time that Indiana had allowed 100 or
more points in a game this season and that includes a 106-98 double-overtime
victory over Sacramento on Saturday.
George Hill and Paul George ended with 15 and 14 points in Indiana's loss to
the undefeated Spurs. David West added 10 points and 11 boards.
"Defensively, they (Spurs) are very solid," West said. "You can't turn the
ball over against them. They will make you pay. They had 22 fast break points
in the first half. They are just too good of a team for us to compete with
right now."
Monday's contest kicked off a three-game road trip for the Pacers, who will
complete the trek Friday in Minnesota.
The Hawks have only played two games so far and they improved their record to
1-1 after Sunday's 104-95 road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Al Horford
netted 23 points and ripped down 12 rebounds to lead Atlanta to victory over
the defending Western Conference champions.
Louis Williams scored 19 points, including 14 in the final quarter, while Jeff
Teague helped Atlanta's cause with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go with
five assists. Ivan Johnson contributed 10 points in a 12-plus minute run off
the bench for the Hawks, who won their third consecutive road opener.
"We're a good team and we're getting to know each other, so this is big for
us," Horford said. "To win on the road gives us a lot of confidence."
On the injury front for Atlanta, forward Josh Smith is questionable for
tonight's game with a sprained right ankle. Smith, who had 18 points in the
Hawks' season-opening loss against visiting Houston, sat out Sunday's win with
the injury.
The Pacers, meanwhile, have played all four of their games this season without
last year's leading scorer Danny Granger, who is out indefinitely with a knee
injury.
Atlanta has won nine straight home games against the Pacers since Indiana last
won in Georgia on Dec. 22, 2006. The Hawks have taken two straight and 11 of
the last 13 overall matchups in this series.
11/07 10:43:40 ET

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