Plots » visiting coach as well. This game, however, might h

ATLANTA - The Indiana Pacers headed south Wednesday, finally carrying themselves with a swagger befitting the No. 1 seed. Now, they need to prove theyre really back on track — at a place where they havent had much success over the years. The Pacers evened the series against the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks with a dominating third-quarter performance in Game 2, stifling some of the incessant criticism the supposed best team in the East had endured after sleepwalking through the final seven weeks of the regular season and turning in a dismal performance in the playoff opener. Of course, the condemnation will start up all over again if the Pacers falter in Game 3 on Thursday night. Theyve got to keep their edge. "That was my point to them," coach Frank Vogel said after a practice in Indianapolis, before the team hopped on a 90-minute flight to Atlanta. "Weve got to maintain that." While a bit down about their most recent showing, the Hawks already accomplished their primary goal of the series — win a game on the road to steal away the home-court advantage. Besides, this team has endured plenty of adversity in recent years, from a massive overhaul that left Atlanta with almost an entirely new roster to the loss of top player Al Horford with a season-ending injury back in December. The Hawks may have lucked into the playoffs with the worst record of any qualifier (38-44), but theyve shown plenty of grit and teamwork to make up for their deficiencies. "Our group has been very, very resilient all year, very tough-minded all year," rookie coach Mike Budenholzer said after a film session with his players. "Ive felt good about this group all year, and I dont feel any differently now." The Hawks did plenty of good things in the first two games, winning the opener rather easily, 101-93, and positioning themselves to pull off another shocker when they built an 11-point lead in the first half Tuesday night. Suddenly, Indiana took control, outscoring the Hawks 52-27 through the rest of the half to the end of the third quarter, pretty much removing any doubt about the outcome when Paul George hit a long 3-pointer at the buzzer. "We had to prove our point," guard Lance Stephenson said. The Pacers have won only twice at Philips Arena since December 2006, a drought that included a 13-game losing streak stretching for more than six years. But Vogel was quick to point out that Indiana has won two of its last three games in Atlanta, including a series-clinching victory in last years playoffs. "Weve won three of our last four if youre counting the preseason," he added. Indiana struggled early on in Game 2, trying to get centre Roy Hibbert more involved in the offence. When that didnt work, the Pacers turned to more familiar weapons. George scored 27 points, knocking down five 3-pointers. Point guard George Hill sparked the offence with his slashing drives into the lane, scoring 15 points over the final two quarters after going scoreless in the first half. Luis Scola provided a huge spark off the bench, scoring 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting, most of them jumpers in the 18- to 21-foot range. "He hit a lot of shots," Budenholzer said. "Credit to him. Now the challenge for us is to make those shots harder and more difficult and more challenged." The Hawks also have to figure out a way to get their point guard, Jeff Teague, to play more like he did in Game 1 (a career playoff-high 28 points) than he did in Game 2 (14 points, just two coming in the second half). The 6-foot-9 George switched over to cover the quicker player and did a marvelous job, limiting the penetration that allows Teague to set up good looks from the outside. Atlanta went 10 of 29 beyond the arc, missing 11 in a row in one stretch as the Pacers seized control. "Paul George is a very good defender no matter who he guards," Budenholzer said. "Hes going to have an impact on the game." Ryan Carpenter Jersey . - The Carolina Panthers believe Steve Smith lost "top-end" speed, a big reason the franchise parted ways with its all-time leading receiver. William Carrier Jersey . It was a move of some time in the making. “He hasnt thrown well, clearly some guys are being used more than him right now and the only way to get out of this funk is to pitch,” said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. http://www.officialgoldenknightsfanstore.com/brayden-mcnabb-golden-knights-jersey-c-2/ . -- Stacy Lewis shot 7-under 65 to lead the LPGA Tour team to the championship of the 3Tour Challenge on Tuesday. Ryan Reaves Jersey . -- Washington Capitals forward Brooks Laich is expected to miss the rest of the regular season after having an operation on a groin muscle. Custom Vegas Golden Knights Jerseys . 1. Lions WR Calvin Johnson (6 REC, 101 YDS, 1 TD, 10 targets) leads receivers with 1,299 yards and 12 touchdowns, though his 118.1 receiving yards per game ranks second behind Clevelands Josh Gordon. Gordon (10 REC, 261 YDS, 2 TD, 15 targets) is emerging as a superstar, putting up huge numbers even with Jason Campbell and Brandon Weeden at quarterback.SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Barring a change of heart from the league offices, Sacramento centre DeMarcus Cousins has played his last game of the season. He definitely went out with a bang. Cousins recorded his eighth straight double-double with 35 points and 15 rebounds but picked up his 16th technical foul of the season late in the fourth quarter of the Kings 106-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night. By NBA rules, Cousins must sit out Sacramentos final regular season game at home against Phoenix on Wednesday. "Im not going to talk about it," said Cousins, who had sat for several minutes in front of his locker with his head hung low. Kings coach Mike Malone was willing to discuss it and said the team might contact the NBA to get the technical removed, citing Cousins most recent behaviour. The technical was his first since Feb. 25 and ended the longest stretch of his career without one. "I feel for him," Malone said. "He has made a concerted effort to handle his emotions and not get that last tech. Well try to do whatever we can to get that rescinded but its disappointing because I know it meant a lot to him." The Kings trailed by 11 in the third quarter and were down 82-81 before going on an 11-2 run to go in front for good. Cousins started the surge with a thunderous dunk and McCallum followed with consecutive 3-pointers, one from the left corner and the other from the right. The Timberwolves pulled to 100-98 with 1:13 left to play on three free throws by Kevin Love after Cousins was charged with the technical foul. Cousins then drove the baseline and dunked with 24.2 seconds remaining, helping Sacramento end a five-game losing streak while evening the season series with Minnesota. "Were still a team trying to grow and find ourselves," said Cousins, breaking his silence. "I think we took steps forward today. Weve been in those situations a couple times this season. Sometimes it went well, sometimes it didnt. We did a pretty good job tonight of handling the siituation and overcoming adversity.dddddddddddd" J.J. Barea missed a 3-pointer and Love was off on a 16-foot jumper in the final 20 seconds for the Wolves. Love had 43 points and 11 rebounds for Minnesota after sitting out Fridays 112-110 win over Houston because of a hyperextended right elbow. "Our defence just wasnt good enough in the second half," Love said. "Offensively we were fine, but they kind of went on a run and never looked back." The Timberwolves lost after leading 62-51 with eight minutes left in the third in what might have been former Kings coach Rick Adelmans final appearance at Sleep Train Arena. The 67-year-old Minnesota coach remains a beloved figure in the states capital, having guided the Kings from 1998-2006. Sacramento made the playoffs in each of his eight seasons and havent been back since. Adelman clearly has fond memories of those glory days in Sacramento and hes been back numerous times as a visiting coach as well. This game, however, might hold special significance since it might be Adelmans last. He has taken time away from coaching each of the past two years to take care of his wife, Mary Kay, who has had health problems. Speculation around the NBA now is that Adelman will step away for good at the end of the season. "Ive always said that the eight years here were a tremendous experience," Adelman said. "We had a lot of fun, we had really good team and the fans during that run were terrific." Minnesota trailed by 11 early before going on a 12-0 run in the second quarter capped by Dante Cunninghams three-point play that put the Wolves up 40-32. Love finished the half with 13 points, including two free throws to give Minnesota a 52-47 halftime lead. The Timberwolves extended their lead to 62-51 with 8:03 left in the third, then Sacramento went on its big run. NOTES: Kings F Rudy Gay (lower back strain) sat out for the third time in four games. ... Cousins moved past Vlade Divac for eighth on Sacramentos career scoring list. ' ' '