Pacers defeat Hawks 101-85 to even series
The top-seeded Indiana Pacers returned to form Tuesday night, defeating the Atlanta Hawks 101-85 to tie their opening round playoff series at one game apiece.
Indiana put up a lackluster first-half performance, but emerged an entirely different team in the second, outscoring Atlanta 53-33.
Star Performer
Paul George led all players with 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting, adding 10 rebounds and six assists.
The Pacers small forward spent most of the night defending Hawks point guard Jeff Teague, who was held to 14 points following his 28-point performance - a playoff career-high for the 25-year-old - in Game 1.
Paul George's final line: 27 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, four steals. That's a MVP-caliber performance.
— Michael Pointer (@michaelpointer) April 23, 2014
Turning Point
The Pacers held the Hawks to just 13 points in the third quarter, which ended with this buzzer-beater from George:
Highlight Reel
Lance Stephenson goes baseline for the slam:
[Courtesy TNT]
For a brief moment in the first quarter, there were two balls on the court:
[Courtesy: TNT]
Quote of the Night
Pacers head coach Frank Vogel had plenty of praise for Luis Scola, who rebounded from his 0-6 night in Game 1 to finish with 20 points, seven rebounds, and one assist.
"Our bench was special tonight," Vogel said. "Luis Scola was playing out of his mind. He rewards you for believing in him."
Series at a glance
Game 1: ATL 101, IND 93 (Hawks lead 1-0)
Game 2: IND 101, ATL 85 (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: Thursday, April 24 - 7 p.m. ET
Game 4: Sunday, April 27 - 3:30 p.m. ET
Game 5: Monday, April 28 - 8 p.m. ET
Game 6: Thursday, May 1 - TBA
Game 7: Saturday, May 3 - TBA