ATLANTA (AP) a Al Horford had 26 points and 16 rebounds as the Atlanta Hawks turned things around significantly within their playoff collection against Indiana, coming out the Pacers 90-69 in Game 3 Saturday evening. Using a great deal more urgency than they did in two double-digit failures at Indianapolis, the Hawks raced to a halftime lead and narrowed the best-of-seven line to 2-1. Game 4 is Monday night in Atlanta, where in fact the Hawks have gained 12 directly within the Pacers dating to 2006. The Hawks changed up their choice a' applying 7-footer Johan Petro at center and taking 3-point specialist Kyle Korver off the bench a' after getting manhandled on your way. With more favorable matchups and a great deal more energy, Atlanta suddenly made a series of it. Indiana, which appeared so dominant on its home court, was a completely different staff after heading south. The Pacers were led by david West with 18 items. John George, who averaged 25 points in the initial two games, was held to 16 on 4-of-11 shooting. The Pacers linked on a gloomy 27 per cent (22 of 81) from the field. Josh Smith added 14 items for the Hawks, and Jeff Teague had 13. Atlanta coach Larry Drew began the little-used Petro at heart hoping of cutting into the Pacers' size benefit, a move that had a ripple impact on Horford and Smith, providing more positive defensive matchups all over the front line. But, after finding manhandled in the initial two activities at Indianapolis, this was not really in regards to a great strategic shift. Minutes were played only 14 by petro. Korver, who began the very first two games, still got the majority of the playing time with 29 minutes. Alternatively, this is more about the Hawks coming out with a whole lot more passion, the very things Drew had been speaking since the start of the line. After falling behind 8-1 in the opening minutes and calling a fast timeout, Atlanta dominated the rest of the opening half with a screen that had the crowd on its feet time and time again, while the Pacers stood around in a state of distress. As as the Pacers good were in the very first two games, calculating 110 items and a margin of victory, they were that poor in Game 3. They made four of the first six shots a then missed 30 of the next 36 before halftime, many of them the forced, ugly attempts of a team that turned increasingly anxious while the Hawks seemed to make the journey to every loose ball just a little faster. Roy Hibbert missed all of his shots in the first half. The backcourt couple of George Hill and Lance Stephenson each went 1 of 6. The Atlanta defense, which was largely nonexistent in the initial two activities, contested now to every picture. Not only did Petro provide a more physical existence, Ivan Johnson came off the table to provide plenty of bruising, quality minutes a' not to say some fierce staredowns when Indiana did manage a rare container. With Petro at heart, Horford shifted to energy forward and Smith moved to small forward, an array that helped turn off the Pacers. Because the Hawks pulled away, things got a little chippy in the second quarter. The 6-foot-10 Horford light emitting diode a lumbering quick split and was tripped by West coming through the street. Horford transpired hard, and Teague came out from behind to provide a hide to West. The Hawks had no intention of having pushed around again. There before the groups were separated, but nothing serious was a bit more shoving and jawing. After reviewing the movie, the officials caught making use of their initial contact a a foul on West, a technical on Teague. For the most part, the game lived up to the handle the Hawks' PR department has tried to push on the group for years. It was, certainly, the Highlight Factory a' especially late in the initial half, when Devin Harris shot to popularity on a fast break, looked over his left shoulder and spotted Smith exercising up from behind. Harris sent a perfect behind-the-back pass, and Smith unleashed a thunderous left-handed throw that would've obtained a "10" in a dunk contest. The Pacers, actually, spent most of the evening in a defensive haze. Stephenson fouled Harris on a frustration 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down, and the Atlanta person pulled down all three free throws. Then, after the Pacers made a few free throws with 6 seconds left in the half, Harris let the inbounds pass move almost to midcourt to save time, then scooped it up and became popular for an easy layup that sent the Hawks to the locker room with their 24-point lead. Notes: The Pacers' last win in Atlanta was a regular-season victory Dec. 22, 2006. ... The Hawks missed six of the first 10 free throws, stretching the problems they'd in the first two games. However they bounced back again to make 14 of their last 18. ... Petro concluded with six points and four rebounds. Com Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963
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