The Atlanta Hawks muddled through a sloppy first quarter. But they heated up as the game went on to defeat the Indiana Pacers once again. Josh Smith shook off a hamstring injury to pour in 21 points and Al Horford added 16 points and 16 rebounds as the Hawks soared to a 97-83 win over the Pacers on Saturday night at Philips Arena.
Jamal Crawford had a game-high 25 and Marvin Williams posted 10 for Atlanta, which won its fifth straight at home and defeated the Pacers for the eighth straight game.
Atlanta (16-9) struggled out of the gate, shooting just 1-for-12 from the field and lead by two through one quarter. But Smith and the Hawks got hot in the second, outscoring Indiana by 11 en route to notching a 48-25 lead. Indiana would get no closer than seven thereafter.
Mike Dunleavy had 16 points and Danny Granger added 14 for Indiana, which fell back to the .500 mark at 11-11.