Atlanta Hawks take down Indiana Pacers for seventh straight win

The Atlanta Hawks extended their season-high winning streak last night, taking down the Indiana Pacers 108-92 after another solid defensive performance.

The team has won eight of its past nine games, and the seven-game winning streak is the longest the Hawks have had since the 2009-10 season.

What’s extremely encouraging though, and different from many Atlanta teams that we have seen in recent years is the defense. It is extremely good at the moment–something that has been the Achilles’ Heel of so many Hawks teams. But Atlanta held the Pacers to just 92 points. It’s the fifth time in the past seven games that the team has held opponents under 100 points and speaks to the team’s growth.

Indiana shot just 44 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from behind the 3-point line, while the Hawks also added 11 steals and seven blocks. Just three players managed double-digit scoring against the Hawks (C.J. Miles 15, Luis Scola 12, and Rodney Stuckey 15).

On the offensive side, Al Horford finally had his breakout game. The big man stepped up across the board with a game-high 25 points on 9-for-18 shooting (including hitting 6-of-6 from the free throw line), eight rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal. That’s a big game.