Atlanta Hawks extend win streak to 14 games, defeat Indiana Pacers 110-91 (1/21/15)

By E. Marcel Pourtout, Editor

The winning ways continue for the Atlanta Hawks as the team tied a franchise record, extending their winning streak to 14 games with a 110-91 home victory over the Indiana Pacers at Philips Arena on Wednesday.

The Hawks are 28-2 over the last 30 contests, and are now 27 games above .500 for the first time since the end of the 1996-97 season (56-26).

Each starter for Atlanta (35-8) scored in double-figures led by a team-high 17 points from Jeff Teague and DeMarre Carroll. Teague also dished out 11 assists for a double-double. Paul Millsap scored 12 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds for the Hawks.

For the game, Atlanta shot 50 percent from the field, making 13 out of 29 three-pointer attempts. The Hawks also had 30 assists. It was the fourth consecutive game they’ve reached this mark.

CJ Miles had a team-high 18 points off the bench for the Pacers (15-29), who saw their losing streak extended to six games.  David West had a game-high 11 rebounds and scored nine points for Indiana.

Atlanta outscored Indiana 36-23 in the third quarter to take an 88-64 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Hawks took a 25-21 lead into the second quarter. Atlanta shot 47 percent from the field in the first quarter while Indiana was at 41 percent.

Outscoring the Pacers 27-20 in the second quarter, the Hawks took a 52-41 lead into halftime.

Al Horford and Thabo Sefolosha each had a team-high eight first-half points for the Hawks. Horford finished the game with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Atlanta shot 48 percent from the field in the first half, making six out of 15 three-pointer attempts. The Hawks also had eight steals in th half.

Rodney Stuckey had a game-high 12 first-half points for the Pacers, who shot 41 percent from the field through the first two quarters. Stuckey didn’t score another point in the game.

The victory assured that Hawks’ head coach Mike Budenholzer and his staff will coach the Eastern Conference All-Star team at the 2015 NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday, Feb. 15. The Hawks have clinched the East’s best record through games of February 1.

“It’s a credit to our players, our front office and our entire organization,” Budenholzer said. “I really feel strongly about our assistant coaches; I think they do an amazing job. It’s a great honor but its our players that put us in this position. It’s the players who deserve the credit.”