Candace Buckner

IndyStar

Celtics at Pacers, 7 p.m. Tuesday, FSI

ATLANTA – Like everyone else, the Indiana Pacers lost an hour Sunday. However, somewhere during Spring Forward day, the Pacers also lost track of their defense.

Inside Philips Arena, Atlanta dominated 104-75 – the 29-point drubbing being the largest margin of defeat for the Pacers this season.

The Pacers (35-31) followed rare competitive moments with staggering stretches littered with low effort. In the second quarter, when Indiana came within six points, the Hawks needed less than 3 minutes to double that deficit, then head into halftime with a 14-point cushion.

Then as the Pacers opened the third quarter by making 5-of-6 shots to pull to within 59-51, the Hawks smashed back. Atlanta put away the game with a 20-0 run complete with a pair of 3-pointers each from Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver. ​The Hawks drilled six 3-pointers and closed the quarter by scoring 30 of the final 35 points. As a team, the Hawks made 15-of-30 from 3-point range as every starter made at least one.

"We just got outplayed in every area," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said.

• BOX SCORE: Hawks 104, Pacers 75

The Pacers limped into the 66th game of the season.

Ty Lawson, who has played only 5 minutes in his brief Pacers career, remained sidelined with a sore right foot. George Hill sustained a toe injury in the previous matchup and needed the pregame warm-ups to confirm if he could play. Then late in the first quarter against the Hawks, Rodney Stuckey exited the court after feeling soreness in his previously battered right foot – the same injured area that has lingered since November and has caused him to miss a total of 24 games.

Compounding these problems, the Pacers played the second game of a back-to-back in Atlanta – a city where the they have traditionally struggled, before Sunday losing 15 of the past 16 since 2006. Throw in the persistent pain and the roadblock called Philips Arena and you’re left with Sunday’s result: a loss.

Just don't blame this loss on the obvious. On Saturday, the Pacers tipped off against Dallas at 1 p.m. CST. By the time that game ended and the Pacers had stretched their winning streak to three games, they had plenty of time in Atlanta to recover for the Hawks (37-29).

So the problem wasn't fatigue. Rather, the Pacers' defense got exposed once again by a team that spaces the floor with bigs posing as shooters (Millsap, Al Horford) and a point guard who penetrates (Jeff Teague).

"It’s been the toughest challenge for us is matching up with these spread teams," Paul George said, "and a spread team got the best of us tonight."

Indiana started the game with a nicely-executed give and go between George and Ian Mahinmi. After that cutting layup, the defense buckled as the Pacers gave up 16 straight points.

The transition defense was most alarming. With less than 8 minutes to go in the first quarter, George coughed up the ball to Kent Bazemore. And though he missed the layup, George lagged behind and allowed Horford to clean up the miss for the putback. Later in the quarter, Bazemore once again stripped a possession away from the Pacers, and though Monta Ellis had the angle to contest the layup, he allowed Bazemore to score easily at the rim. The Hawks ran to 12 fast-break points and scored 30 in the quarter.

Though the Pacers cut into the deficit and trailed 42-36 after Myles Turner poked away a pass and Ellis hurried in for the fast-break layup, the Hawks would reconstruct a double-digit lead by halftime.

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Early in the third quarter, one bad shot seemed to undo the Pacers.

While trailing 59-51, the Pacers got another turnover and George, picking up the loose goods, pulled up in transition from 25 feet. The shot missed, then Atlanta unleashed a torrent of 3-pointers.

"They turned the switch," said George, who finished 3-of-15 from the floor for seven points. "They took it to another level."

It started simply enough with Teague feeding Horford for a layup. Then Teague, scaring the Pacers with his driving ability, drew a few defenders before kicking out to Millsap who was open beyond the arc. With the threat of the pass still dancing in their heads, Teague would later zoom past George's containment and score at the rim to build the 71-51 lead.

Teague scored only six points but contributed nine of the team's 27 assists. Backup point guard Dennis Schröder produced eight points and five assists, one less than the combined effort from the Pacers starting backcourt (Ellis and Hill).

"They just were better than us in every situation today," Hill said.

Follow IndyStar reporter Candace Buckner on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.

Celtics at Pacers, 7 p.m. Tuesday, FSI