Atlanta Hawks vs Indiana Pacers Match Player Stats On Apr 12, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Apr 12, 2017

INDIANAPOLIS -- Paul George had 32 points and 11 rebounds, and Jeff Teague added 19 points and seven assists before rolling his left ankle late in the fourth quarter Wednesday night, leading the Indiana Pacers to a 104-86 playoff-clinching victory against the Atlanta Hawks.

Indiana (42-40) earned the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference and will open against the No. 2 seed Cleveland Cavaliers. Teague went directly to the locker room after being injured with 2:06 to play.

Having clinched the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a Tuesday night victory against Charlotte, Atlanta (43-39) rested guard Kent Bazemore, guard Tim Hardaway Jr., center Dwight Howard, forward Paul Millsap and guard Dennis Schroder against Indiana.

Atlanta will begin the playoffs against the fourth-seeded Washington Wizards.

Without those five double-figure scorers, Indiana steadily pulled away to qualify for the playoffs for a second consecutive season and for the 22nd time in the past 28 seasons. Myles Turner added 18 points and eight rebounds for Indiana, which finished the regular season with five straight victories.

The Hawks were led by Ersan Ilyasova's 15 points. Jose Calderon added 12, and Taurean Prince scored 11.

The Pacers got a 14-point third quarter from Teague and made 11 of 17 field goal attempts in the pivotal period, expanding a seven-point halftime lead to 84-68 through 36 minutes.

Atlanta turned the ball over six times in the third quarter, leading to eight Pacers points.

George scored 14 first-half points, including four 3-pointers, and added seven rebounds, and Turner added 10 points and six rebounds during the first 24 minutes to help the Pacers lead 50-43 at intermission.

Indiana, which shot 42.2 percent in the first half, made eight 3-pointers before halftime, including 3 of 5 from Miles. The Pacers led by as many as 11 in the opening half.

Ilyasova had eight first-half points for Atlanta, and DeAndre' Bembry added seven.

The Hawks shot 43.2 percent in the opening half.

NOTES: For the second time in three seasons, Indiana's playoff hopes were determined in Game 82. The Pacers lost at Memphis on the final night of the 2015 season and were denied a playoff berth. ... Indiana played without C Al Jefferson (sprained left ankle) and G Glenn Robinson III (sore left calf). ... Atlanta had its four-game winning streak snapped. ... Indiana G Jeff Teague -- an Indianapolis native -- played the first seven seasons of his NBA career with the Hawks, helping the team qualify for the playoffs in each of those seven seasons. ... Indiana was the NBA's second-best free throw shooting team at 81 percent ... Atlanta ranked second in opponents turnovers with 15.5.