Indiana Implosion: Hawks Soar Over Pacers in Game 3, 98-85 Grab 2-1 Series Lead

The East's No. 1 seed are in a world of trouble.

First, they were not able to protect their home floor in Game 1 then looked lost on the road in Game 3 as the eighth seeded Atlanta Hawks nailed the easy 98-85 victory on Thursday night.

After stealing the homecourt advantage in the first two games, the Jeff Teague-powered Hawks made sure they won't give it right back finishing with a game-high 22 points while adding 10 assists, a steal and a blocked shot.

The Pacers struggled on offense once again. "All-Stars" Paul George and Roy Hibbert couldn't find their offensive rhythm and Indiana paid dearly for it. George missed 8-of-11 shots for just a dozen points while Hibbert played only 19 minutes for measly 4 points.

The offensive production from the Hawks meanwhile wasn't a problem. Five players (four starters) ended up in double-figure scoring: unheralded players like DeMarre Carrole had 18 markers while Louis Williams came off the bench for 11 points. Kyle Korver hit 4-of-7 from behind the arc to finish with 20 points.

For the Pacers to avoid the 1-3 hole, Indiana has to win on Saturday for Game 4 of the best-of-seven series.

View the slideshow for more images from the Game 3 of the Pacers-Hawks match-up of the NBA Playoffs.