INDIANAPOLIS - With Indiana Pacers' leading scorer Paul George mired in a shooting slump, and with No. 2 scorer C.J. Miles out Monday night with low-back pain, strength in numbers would be the key to victory.
Indiana's non-starters combined for 35 points and 15 rebounds - 10 points more than Atlanta got from its bench - and the Pacers snapped the Hawks' six-game winning streak 93-87 in Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers are 10-3 when their reserves outscore their opponent's bench.
Guard Monta Ellis scored a season-best 26 points, and center Ian Mahinmi, who scored 13 points, tipped in a missed Ellis shot with 16.3 seconds remaining to give Indiana a 92-87 lead.
"We had a lot of guys give us a spark," Ellis said. "We also were able to get defensive stops and then get out and run."
Indiana non-starters Solomon Hill and Chase Budinger each added 10 on a night when George (24.8 points a game) was 3 of 14 from the field for nine points, and Miles (14.6 points a game) watched from the bench in street clothes.
"My slump is going to change - it's a long season - but tonight, Monta and Solomon were huge," George said.
Paul Millsap led the Hawks (20-13) with 24 points, Indianapolis native Jeff Teague added 18, Thabo Sefolosha scored 14 and Al Horford had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Indiana shot 43.7 percent, and Atlanta shot 41.9 percent.
Solomon Hill's driving layup with 6:21 to play pushed the Indiana lead to nine at 86-77.
After the Hawks sliced the Pacers' lead to 76-73, Budinger and Hill scored consecutive field goals to give Indiana an 80-73 advantage with 8:46 remaining.
"What happened tonight was team basketball," Solomon Hill said. "I brought lots of energy tonight, and knowing C.J, was out, I tried to do everything I could to help us win."
Indiana finished the third quarter on a 10-4 run to lead 74-68 with 12 minutes to go, Ellis had five of those 10 points and had all of his 26 through three periods.
"I was really happy with our defensive intensity in the second quarter," said Indiana coach Frank Vogel, who knew the Hawks had averaged 111 points during their six-game winning streak. "We forced some turnovers (20), and Monta realized that Paul is struggling a bit and C.J. was out. It was nice seeing Solomon play like that. It has been tough finding minutes for him."
Atlanta began the third quarter on a 13-4 run, pulling to within 56-53 on a Horford layup with 7:20on the clock. The Hawks pulled even at 60 and again at 62 before Hill's basket gave the Pacers a 64-62 lead with 3:42 remaining in the quarter.
The Pacers finished the half on a 14-2 run, including seven points from Mahinmi, to seize a 52-40 lead through 24 minutes. A George Hill 3-pointer snapped a tie at 38, and Mahinmi scored the next seven points to lead 48-38 lead with 1:02 remaining in the second quarter.
Indiana outscored Atlanta 31-13 in the second quarter, shooting 50 percent from the field during the period.
"They did a good job with their defense and getting after us," Horford said. "They created turnovers, especially in the key moments. I feel like they just played better than we did. They were more consistent, and they played better the whole 48 minutes. We played good in spurts, but we were not consistent."
Through two quarters, Ellis had 15 Pacers' points, and George had eight. Teague had 10 first-half points to lead the Hawks, who were guilty of 13 turnovers before intermission. Atlanta outrebounded Indiana 21-19 during the first two quarters.
Indiana's nonstarters outscored Atlanta's reserves 14-10 in the opening 24 minutes.
"This was kind of a game of rounds, a game of spurts," Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. "Our inconsistency kind of put us in a tough spot. They were better tonight. I give them credit. Defensively, they created some problems for us. We didn't play well enough."
NOTES: The Hawks were without F/C Tiago Splitter (right calf sprain). ... Indiana entered Monday's game 2 1/2 games behind Cleveland in the Central Division. ... With a victory on Saturday at Minnesota, the Pacers snapped a three-game losing streak. ... Beginning with a Dec. 3 loss at Portland, Indiana is 5-7. ... Pacers F Paul George entered Monday's game ranked sixth in NBA scoring (24.8) and second in 3-point field goals made (88). ... Atlanta came in ranked in the top five in five statistical categories - second in assists per game (25.3), third in steals per game (9.4), third in opponents turnovers per game (16.9), fifth in field-goal percentage (46.2) and fifth in free-throw percentage (79.8). ... The Pacers are fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (37.2). ... The Hawks had won four straight regular-season games against Indiana prior to Monday's loss.
