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Hawks hold off Pacers

Nov 17, 2010 - 4:10 AM Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Josh Smith finished with 25 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks, as the Atlanta Hawks earned a 102-92 win over the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Mike Bibby went for 16 points and seven assists, while Al Horford contributed 15 points for Atlanta, which has won seven straight over Indiana. The Hawks have won two in a row overall after a four-game slide. Marvin Williams, Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford had 11 points apiece in the victory.

"It was beautiful to watch, when we pass and play like that and defend on the other end," Hawks head coach Larry Drew said. "I think they are learning to play through adverse times. We work on the things you believe in. It will all come together."

Danny Granger had a team-high 22 points for the Pacers, who were coming off a 99-85 win at Cleveland on Saturday, but have dropped four of their last six. Roy Hibbert had 18 points and 15 boards in defeat.

"We lost to a very good basketball team," Pacers head coach Jim O'Brien said. "They have a lot of weapons. They played together and they're coached well."

Indiana held a 24-21 lead after the opening quarter and Hibbert scored five straight points near the midway point of the second to put the Pacers up 38-32 with nearly 5 1/2 minutes left in the half.

Atlanta then scored nine unanswered a short time later and after Bibby hit a three-pointer, the Hawks held a 41-38 edge and were ahead 50-49 at the intermission.

Ahead by three with nearly 7 1/2 minutes to play in the third, Williams' three-point play and a pair of free throws book-ended an 8-1 run and the Hawks were ahead 66-56 with 5:24 left in the quarter. Atlanta was up 77-65 after three.

T.J. Ford's jumper cut the Pacers' deficit to five with 7:04 to play in the fourth, but Horford hit a jumper as Atlanta ran off seven straight to go up 90-78 and the Hawks held on the rest of the way.

Game Notes

Atlanta shot 50 percent from the field and made 8-of-15 from three-point range, while Indiana made 44.3 percent of its shots and only 4-of-18 from beyond the arc...Mike Dunleavy contributed 14 points for the Pacers.