Pacers fall to Hawks 132-116, Hawks secure third win

On Monday, January 26, at State Farm Arena, the Hawks defeated the Pacers for the second time in two attempts, 132-116. The victory was the third straight for the Hawks.

On Halloween 2025, Atlanta defeated Indiana 128-108 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. They will return to Indianapolis on Saturday. Before that game, the Hawks will be in Boston on Wednesday, before returning home to host the Houston Rockets and Kevin Durant on Thursday night. 

Against the Pacers on Monday night, the Hawks managed to outscore Indiana by seven points during the third and fourth quarters. CJ McCollum (23 points) and Luke Kennard (13) combined to score 36 points off the bench, while the Hawks’ starting backcourt of Dyson Daniels (22) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (21) led the way.

The Hawks didn’t have their first lead of the game, 93-92, until the 1:13 mark in the fourth quarter. McCollum, who made three consecutive three-pointers during the first half, made a layup to put Atlanta ahead 95-92 at the end of the third quarter.

Atlanta led the rest of the way.

The Pacers got out to a quick start, forcing a Hawks timeout at the 6:55 mark of the first quarter after going ahead 18-11. Hawks guard McCollum came off the bench and immediately made an impact, hitting two three-pointers to keep Atlanta close. McCollum’s 18.5 points per game off the bench has allowed Alexander-Walker (20.3 points per game this season) to remain in the starting lineup and give Atlanta a pure scorer and shot creator on the floor, whether Jalen Johnson (15 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals) is on or off the court.

On Monday, the first quarter ended with the Pacers ahead 38-34, behind 10 bench points from guard Bennedict Mathurin. Indiana would go ahead by double figures several times during the first half, including in the second quarter when Indiana took its first double-figure lead of the game with 2:30 remaining in the half.

The third quarter was Pacers All-Star forward Pascal Siakim’s turn to heat up. After only scoring seven points during the first half, Siakim helped Indiana grab its largest lead of the game, 85-70, midway through the third quarter, by scoring 14 points to start the period. Siakim finished with a team-high 26 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. 

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