After dropping four of their last five contests, the Pacers were hoping to right the ship on Thursday night against Atlanta. They were on pace to do that after a strong first half, taking a 72-58 lead into halftime at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Pacers used a balanced attack to jump out to an early lead, as all five starters scored as Indiana opened Thursday's contest with a 17-10 surge. Domantas Sabonis scored 11 points in the opening frame, while Caris LeVert added seven points and four assists.
The Blue & Gold stretched their lead to 13 thanks to a 10-2 run late in the frame before Onyeke Okongwu's three-point play made it a 36-26 contest entering the second quarter.