Atlanta Hawks Defeat Indiana Pacers 133-112 – Sports Illustrated

Recap

If you felt a major quake today, it was the fallout from another ‘Woj Bomb’ from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The veteran journalist broke the news of a significant trade between the Sacramento Kings and the Indiana Pacers. 

The Pacers traded Domontas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday, and a 2027 draft pick to Sacramento for Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson. Thanks to that blockbuster trade, the Pacers’ roster was depleted for their game against the Hawks tonight.

Naturally, Trae Young ate all night. The All-Star point guard scored an efficient 34 points and dropped 11 assists before calling it an early night. John Collins scored 20 points in 21 minutes. The Hawks shot an impressive 57.8% from the field and 51.5% from deep.

Although the game was never in doubt, it was still an eventful night in State Farm Arena. Former Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce made his return as an assistant coach with the Pacers. Lance Stephenson, former Hawks player from earlier this season, also returned as well. 

Even better, before the game, it was announced that Trae Young is competing in the 2022 NBA 3-Point Contest. In another inspiring moment, John Collins addressed the crowd on Military Appreciation as part of the Sixth Annual ‘Crowning Courage’ Event presented by Crown Royal.

Post-Game Interviews

Hawks head coach Nate McMillan said, “I just like our approach to the game. It was about taking care of business tonight and respecting the game even though they were shorthanded with the trade. But our guys came out right from the start – was solid both on the defensive end of the floor as well as the offensive end of the floor.”

A jovial Trae Young took a seat at the podium with a smile on his face. “I thought it was important that we did it fast and got off to a hot start because they have some guys who can score and get it going. So really putting that pressure on them early and attacking it from the beginning was important for us.”

When asked about his return to the 3-Point Contest, Young poked fun at the last time he participated in the annual event. “I’m excited to hopefully redeem myself from the last performance I had at 3-Point Contest, so hopefully I’ll do better. I’m going to practice a little bit more this time,” Young said with a laugh.

The Hawks have the next two days off before hosting the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated’s AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.

Indiana Pacers guard Lance Stephenson (6) shown on the court prior to the game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena.

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Photos from Pacers at Hawks

Best shots from State Farm Arena!

Stats

Hawks Leaders

Trae Young – 34 PTS, 11 AST

John Collins – 20 PTS, 3 REB

Onyeka Okongwu- 14 PTS, 3 REB

Pacers Leaders 

Chris Duarte – 25 PTS, 4 REB

Lance Stephenson – 23 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST

Oshae Brissett – 13 PTS, 5 REB

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