NBA Playoffs - Eastern Conference First Round
Game 7 - Series tied 3-3
Tip-off: Saturday, 5:30 p.m. ET
Line: Indiana -6, Total: 186

After staving off elimination on the road Thursday night, the top-seeded Pacers will try to clinch their first-round series versus the Hawks in a decisive Game 7 on Saturday afternoon.

After allowing Atlanta to score 107 points on 50% FG (56% threes) in Game 5, Indiana played shutdown defense in Thursday's Game 6 by limiting its opponent to 88 points on 36% FG (26% threes) and prevailing 95-88. The Hawks had nearly as many turnovers (13) as assists (14), and lost both the edge in rebounding (47-44) and points in the paint (40-32). But Atlanta has not lost two straight games in these playoffs, and is 11-12 SU (11-11-1 ATS) in this series over the past three seasons. The Hawks are only 19-23-2 ATS on the road this season, but are 27-16-1 ATS (63%) with one day's rest. The Pacers may be the top seed in their conference, but have won two games in a row just once since March 18, going 9-12 SU (7-14 ATS) over their past 21 games. They are just 19-26 ATS (42%) with one day's rest, 26-32 ATS (45%) after an SU win this season, and 22-21-1 ATS (51%) at home. Over the past three seasons, Indiana holds an 8-4 SU (6-5-1 ATS) advantage in this series. Both teams have negative betting trends for Game 7, as underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points (like Atlanta), after 1 or more consecutive Unders, a good offensive team (98-102 PPG) facing an average defensive team (92-98 PPG) after 42+ games are just 49-94 ATS (34%) over the past five seasons, but the Pacers are only 11-25 ATS (31%) versus poor foul-drawing teams (24 or less FTA per game) in the second half of this season. While there are no significant injuries for either team, there is a chance that the Pacers could be missing two players -- star SF Paul George and reserve SG Rasual Butler -- due to possible one-game suspensions for stepping on the court from the bench during an altercation in Game 6.

The Hawks' poor shooting wasn't confined to just one player, as nobody on the team made more than half of his FG attempts in Thursday's loss. PG Jeff Teague (19.8 PPG, 5.3 APG, 3.8 RPG in series) was the only player to exceed 16 points, as he netted a game-high 29 points on 9-of-21 FG and 9-of-9 free throws. But Teague had only two assists in his 40 minutes of action, and will need to set up his teammates better for Atlanta to pull off the big upset on Saturday. PF Paul Millsap (20.2 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 2.0 BPG in series) continues to be a beast in this series, carrying his team with 16 points, 18 rebounds (5 offensive), five assists and three steals in Game 6. But he made just 4-of-13 from the floor before fouling out. SG Kyle Korver (12.5 PPG, 41% threes, 5.7 RPG in series) did not attempt a shot from inside the three-point arc, finishing a lackluster 3-for-8 for nine points and four rebounds. SF DeMarre Carroll (10.0 PPG, 52% FG, 4.8 RPG in series) also struggled, scoring a mere seven points (3-of-7 FG) with four boards in his 39 minutes, while posting a poor rating of minus-9. But PF Mike Scott (8.5 PPG in series) had the worst rating of Game 6 with a minus-15, and made just 2-of-9 shots, including 0-for-6 from three-point range. Scott had made all six of his shots, including 5-for-5 threes in the second quarter of Game 5. SG Louis Williams (9.7 PPG, 1.2 SPG in series) was the lone Atlanta player to make half of his shots on Thursday, connecting on 6-of-12 FG for 16 points, but he was bad in other areas with three turnovers, zero assists and a minus-11 rating.

If SF Paul George (22.8 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 4.8 APG, 2.5 SPG in series) gets suspended for game 7, the Pacers are in a world of hurt, as he has carried the team in all facets during these playoffs. He didn't have his best game on Thursday with more turnovers (4) than assists (3), but still poured in 24 points and eight rebounds while posting a game-high rating of +19. PF David West (15.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.2 SPG in series) also scored 24 points in Game 6, including some big baskets late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. He finished the day with 24 points, 11 boards, six assists and two steals. The starting backcourt of SG Lance Stephenson (14.8 PPG, 8.0 RPG in series) and PG George Hill (12.7 PPG, 4.0 APG in series) also played well, as they have done throughout most of this series. Stephenson finished with 21 points and nine boards, while Hill chipped in 14 points and four assists. All-Star C Roy Hibbert (4.0 PPG on 30% FG, 3.2 RPG in series) continues to provide nothing for his team, posting his second consecutive scoreless game with just two rebounds and a minus-12 rating in his 12 minutes. The Indiana bench also needs to contribute more, tallying only 12 points on 4-of-13 FG (1-of-5 threes) in the Game 6 victory.