NBA: Paul George's triple-double leads Pacers past Hawks

The defensive-minded Indiana Pacers showed the Atlanta Hawks they had plenty of firepower at their disposal as well. Third-seeded Indiana finished with six players scoring in double figures, in a rout of Atlanta, 107-90, Sunday (Monday, PHL time), at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianpolis, as the Pacers took a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoffs series.   The visiting Hawks jumped out to a 6-0 start behind the backcourt of Jeff Teague and Devin Harris, but after George Hill's three-pointer put the Pacers ahead, 15-13, 6:27 left in the first, Atlanta would never taste the lead again in this one. Back-to-back scores by Tyler Hansbrough gave the Pacers their first double-digit advantage, 31-21, under a minute remaining in the first period, but Atlanta's DeShawn Stevenson canned a trey to end the initial 12 minutes, 34-26. In the second, the Hawks got as close as four points with 2:36 remaining in the first half, following a 5-0 mini-run, 49-45. Paul George however scored an and-one play with 2.7 seconds remaining to put the score at 58-50, entering the intermission. Indiana's defense held Atlanta to under 20 points and gave up not a single attempt at the foul line in the third period, helping the home team establish their biggest lead of the game at 17, 84-67, on a Lance Stephenson free throw. Ivan Johnson however nailed a jumper with under a minute left in the third, making it 84-69 with just one more period remaining. The Hawks made one last push, a 10-2 run in the fourth that got them within eight, 89-81, as Shelvin Mack and Stevenson connected from downtown. Hansbrough however would rebound a split at the foul line, and then after another offensive carom, the Pacers would work the ball to Hill for a triple to re-establish their double-digit lead, 93-81. A banker by Josh Smith and a Jeff Teague triple got it to nine, 95-86, 4:56 remaining, but David West connected on an and-one play, followed by the Hawks tallying three empty possessions in a row, giving this one to their foes. Despite shooting 3-of-13 from the field, Paul George was able to put together his first triple-double in the playoffs, with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists. George Hill added 18 markers, nine coming from downtown, while center Roy Hibbert provided 16 mpoints, eight rebounds and two swats. David West and Lance Stephenson chipped in 13 apiece. The Hawks drew 21 points on 50 percent shooting, plus seven assists from Jeff Teague. Josh Smith put together 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while Al Horford managed just 13 points and six rebounds. Atlanta wound up shooting 50 percent from the field, compared to 44.9 percent by Indiana, but the difference lay in the free throws. The Hawks were a mere 7-of-14, while the Pacers got to the line a whopping 34 times, and missed just four charities. The home team also dominated the glass, 48-32, 15-6 in offensive rebounds. - AMD, GMA News