'Pacer-struck' makes its debut in Atlanta

The visiting Pacers fell to the Atlanta Hawks 97-87 Wednesday night, ending the Pacers three-game winning streak. The loss put the Pacers record at 28-7 while the Hawks improved to 19-17.
The Big Plays
This is probably a bit simplistic, but really this game was all about the first few minutes. The Hawks opened the game with a 12-0 run and that was pretty much it. Those opening minutes reminded me a bit of that movie from a couple of years ago, "Thunderstruck" where Kevin Durant loses his ability to play basketball. It was as if the Pacers kind of just forgot what to do out there as they shot just 23 percent from the field and had five turnovers in the first quarter. By the time they started to play similar to what they have for almost all of the season the Hawks had a 25-point lead in the third quarter and it was just too late.
The Ups

One of the good things in Wednesday's loss to Atlanta
for the Pacers was that Paul George found his rhythm again.

1) It was good to see Paul George get back into some type of rhythm. George finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds on 11 of 25 shooting from the floor. George had scored more than 20 points just once in the previous four games, but that's not necessarily a big deal. The problem was that he had hit just 21 of 60 shots in those four games. Part of what made him and the Pacers so good early in the season was his efficiency and ability to consistently hit shots. In the Pacers first 10 games, he took more than 20 shots just once. It was fine for him to take the 25 Wednesday though, partly because the Pacers were missing Lance Stephenson due to a knee injury, and partly because, well, they need George to get his rhythm and confidence back, and it was also possible too that he could have shot them back into this one, even though it didn't quite happen on this occasion.
2) Being a native Hoosier, you always have to appreciate the guys who can flat out shoot the ball. And no matter which team he's been on over the years, Kyle Korver's ability to make long-range jump shots has to be admired. The Hawks' Korver extended his NBA record of consecutive games with a 3-pointer made to 105 Wednesday night. If you are trying to teach your son or daughter how to shoot, one of the best things you can do is go to youtube and find some video of Korver shooting. He has flawless form, which starts with perfect footwork before or as he receives the ball, and then the elbows are aligned perfectly for the accuracy. While a couple of other guys also come to mind here, I still think Korver is the best catch-and-shoot guy in the league.
3) It's rare that you put a player in the Up category when he doesn't even play, but that's the case with Lance Stephenson. The Pacers guard never saw the court Wednesday because of the knee injury, and so, it's maybe one of those cases where you appreciate what you have when it's not there. The Pacers sure could have used some of his energy Wednesday night and just maybe that would have helped them avoid that poor start, or at least, make a bit of a game out of this one when the deficit wasn't too large to overcome.
The Downs
1) The Pacers defense was not what it usually is, especially for the first three quarters and since the game was out of reach by the time we got to fourth quarter, you can't really count that last stanza. The Hawks shot 50 percent in those first three quarters and there were simply too many unchallenged shots. Yes, it was partly to blame that the Pacers were on the second night of a back-to-back, while the Hawks had a full day of rest. It does make a difference. But it would have been nice to see the Pacers make this kind of an ugly game in order to get in range to go for the win, but that just didn't happen.
2) You can't help but have great respect for David West and there is no question the Pacers would not be a title contender without him. His leadership has been invaluable and for the most part, he's been a pretty good player. But in the "what have you done for me lately" category, West has struggled a bit. He has scored in double figures just three times in the last nine games now and the most he's scored in that stretch is 13. Part of it is West's minutes are a little down this year because of the arrival of Luis Scola. While West doesn't have to be the primary option in the offense, he does need to be a legitimate one. He's still had 12 and 11 rebounds in the last two games, so of course, the effort is there. I'll write this off as a mini-slump for the moment, but the Pacers need West to return to form.
3) One of the places the Pacers appeared to have a decided advantage Wednesday was at center. The Hawks are without regular Al Horford and started Pero Antic against Roy Hibbert, but the Hawks got the better end of the match-up on this night. Antic, in somewhat typical European fashion, hit three 3-pointers on the way to 16 points on 6 of 10 shooting. Hibbert was 1 of 8 from the floor with 2 points. You still have to love Hibbert, but this simply wasn't his night.
Afterthoughts
There is no reason to panic with this loss to the Hawks. The fact that they had an extra's day's rest is a big deal at this point in the season, especially since the Pacers were playing their fourth game in five days. The Pacers looked and played tired. Then you add in that Stephenson wasn't available, and you had a sense that it just might not be the Pacers night. It was good to see the Pacers make a little run to try and get back into the game late in the third quarter and early in the fourth, so there was still some fire there. But it simply wasn't enough to overcome the Hawks.
Next Up
The Pacers play host to the Washington Wizards in a 7 p.m. game Friday. The Wizards improved to 16-17 with a 102-95 win at New Orleans Wednesday night, so they'll be looking to get to that .500 mark. The Pacers won the first meeting between these two teams 93-73 back on Nov. 29. The Wizards, however, were without one of their top players in Bradley Beal, who is averaging 17.7 points. They are led by point guard John Wall at 19.7 points and 8.7 assists. They also have Trevor Ariza at just over 14 points a game, Nene at 13.4 points, Marcin Gortat at 12.5 points and 8.7 rebounds and Martell Webster at 11.9 points.