We’re heading to game seven.
In a series that’s seen twists and turns unexpected for a top seed versus an eighth seed that finished the regular season with a losing record, the Pacers avoided elimination by winning last night’s contest 95-88 at Philips Arena in Atlanta. Game seven will take place on Saturday in Indianapolis.
David West’s jumper with less than a minute left in the contest and the scored tied at 85-85 served as the game-winner for the Pacers. He finished with a team-high 24 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Paul George also had 24 points for Indiana.
Paul Millsap had a game-high 18 rebounds for the Hawks along with 16 points.
Atlanta used a 13-4 run in the third quarter to take a 67-64 lead into the fourth quarter. The Hawks outscored the Pacers 28-20 in the third quarter with Teague scoring 12 of his game-high 29 points during that frame.
The Hawks build upon its lead late into the fourth quarter with a Teague converted jumper with three minutes left in the contest made the score 84-79 in favor of the home team.
West took over the game for the Pacers, converting two free throws on the next possession, cutting the lead to 84-81. He next hit a jumper before George Hill’s corner jumper with 1:20 left in the game gave the Pacers the lead for good at 85-84. Hill finished the game with 14 points.
Atlanta tied the game at 85-all with less than a minute left after Pero Antic converted one of two free throw attempts.
After West’s game-winner, the Hawks still had a chance to ted the score on their next possession but Lou Williams’s intercepted pass attempt by George served as the crucial turnover that they couldn’t afford to happen. Williams had 16 points off the bench for the Hawks. George converted both of his free-throw attempts to secure the victory for the Pacers.
Indiana led the contest at halftime 44-39. Stephenson had a game-high 13 points for Indiana at the break while George posted 12 points. The Hawks struggled from the field in the first half, particularly from the three-point line, making only five out of 22 attempts. Overall, the home team shot only 34 percent from the field in the first half. Teague had a team-high 11 points for Atlanta. Millsap grabbed a game-high 10 rebound at the half along with scoring five points.
The Sports Inquirer 
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