Autumn Allison

autumn.allison@indystar.com

Hawks at Pacers%2C 7 p.m.%2C Monday%2C FSI

With just seconds to go on the clock, the Indiana Pacers looked like they were about to break a three-game losing streak. Then Carl Landry's overtime heroics happened.

Landry's quick fake off a missed 15-foot jumper by Rudy Gay won the game for Sacramento, 102-101. And just like that, the Pacers added another close loss to the books.

"It's going to be an every-possession-counts type of year for us and that's how we are going after it," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said.

Making that a bigger challenge is an offense that's still a work in progress.

"I like the way we are rebounding the basketball (and) our tempo is continuing to grow. It is better than it was first 10 games or so," said Vogel. "We are still working guys in and have a number of different combinations that have been changing a lot.

"(The offense) is not where we want to be but it's growing."

A lot of the uncertainty with Indiana's offensive identity is the stretch of injuries that depleted the starting lineup, and even the reserves for several games. As players returned, the combinations would change again and again.

"We knew it was going to be a process when those guys come back to get their rhythm and timing back," Vogel said. "We obviously took steps towards that. We wanted to get a couple of wins but right now we are unable to do that."

Guard Rodney Stuckey, who missed several games with foot and wrist injuries, knows better than most that the transition period is going to take some time.

"Everyone is just trying to find their rhythm," Stuckey said. "David (West) is missing shots that he is always capable of making. (The injured guys are still) getting their legs back underneath them, getting back into conditioning. It's going to take time but we just got to play through it. We've been doing that, we've just been falling short."

Many times this season the Pacers have fallen to a team in the final minutes or been unable to dig themselves out of an early deficit.

"It's not one thing. It's a lot of little things," said Vogel. "We know that, this season, we are going to be in a lot of close games. A lot of one-two possession games. Loose ball here and there, we have up a jump ball 3-pointer the other night … those things change the complexion of the game."

And it's those little things that the Pacers know has led to losses that that just as easily could have bolstered the club's win column.

"There were some losses we should have won but we just fell short," Stuckey said. " … There's some games that we slipped away. Eighty-two games. Just got to look forward to the next one."

Backup guard C.J. Watson agrees that the long season allows for a time to bounce back.

"I think it is tough but it is a good thing that the NBA has so many games that you can always get ready for the next one or win the next one," he said.

On to game 21 then.

Follow Star reporter Autumn Allison on Twitter: @Aallison25.

ATLANTA AT INDIANA

Tipoff: 7 p.m. Monday

Bankers Life Fieldhouse

TV: FSI.

Radio: WFNI 107.5 FM/1070 AM.

INDIANA (7-13)

Projected starters

Pos. Player PPG Key stat PG Rodney Stuckey 12.8 2.5 apg SG Solomon Hill 11.6 5.3 rpg SF Chris Copeland 11.4 3.6 rpg PF David West 14.2 6.8 rpg C Roy Hibbert 12.7 7.9 rpg 6th C.J. Watson 9.8 4.0 apg

ATLANTA (12-6)

Projected starters

Pos. Player PPG Key stat PG Jeff Teague 17.8 7.1 apg SG Kyle Korver 13.4 56.4 3FG% SF DeMarre Carroll 11.8 5.2 rpg PF Paul Millsap 16.7 8.0 rpg C Al Horford 12.9 6.1 rpg 6th Dennis Schroder 9.5 3.0 apg

STORYLINES

• Adjusting well: Damjan Rudez, who got extra time in the last game because of Copeland's struggles (1-of-5 shooting in 15 minutes), is taking advantage of his chances. "Every time coach puts me on the court it says, 'I have faith in you,' and it does a lot for the confidence of a player," he said. "I'm just trying to get adapted, maximize my minutes, incorporate myself into the defensive system and play simple in offense." Rudez is averaging 5.1 points this season.

• Injury report: Center Ian Mahinmi will miss six to eight weeks for a torn left plantar fascia that he suffered during the Sacramento loss on Friday. Mahinmi's absence from the bench will likely push Lavoy Allen into more minutes. Allen has seen an increased role with the team this season and saw extra game time during Roy Hibbert's four-game absence for an ankle injury.

• Prediction: After dropping four games on the road, the Pacers can only hope that home-court advantage is enough in their match up with the Hawks. Atlanta, however, is on a five-game win streak. Last time these teams played, Teague helped ensured that the Pacers remained scoreless in the final minute of a 102-92 Atlanta victory. This is not a game where the Pacers can afford to get down and fight their way back. Indiana is going to have to control not only Teague but the entire starting five (which all average more 11 points per game) if they want a shot. Atlanta 102, Indiana 97.

— Autumn Allison