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Sports

Josh Smith, Hawks hold off Pacers 97-83

Associated Press
Published | Updated

ATLANTA – Josh Smith took care of his sore hamstring and then took care of the Indiana Pacers, scoring 21 points to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 97-83 win Saturday night.

Smith was treated for cramping in his right hamstring before the game and showed no sign of being limited against the Pacers. He had consecutive three-point plays late in the fourth quarter, each time after Indiana cut Atlanta's lead to seven points.

Jamal Crawford led the Hawks with 25 points. Al Horford finished two assists shy of a triple-double with 16 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists.

Crawford and Smith combined to make 18 of 21 free throws. Smith had seven rebounds and blocked two shots.

Mike Dunleavy had 16 points and Danny Granger and Brandon Rush each added 14 for the Pacers.

The Hawks have won eight straight over the Pacers and six straight in the series at Philips Arena.

Atlanta took a big lead at 43-21 in the second quarter. After Indiana cut the lead to 10 in the third period before the Hawks stretched the advantage to 75-55. The Pacers came no closer than seven points in the final period.

Smith was bothered by the cramping in his right hamstring in Friday night's loss at San Antonio. He drank extra fluids and was given an IV on Saturday. He said he's never had a previous problem with cramping.

Hawks backup forward Josh Powell sustained a sprained right knee in the fourth quarter and did not return. There was no immediate report on the severity of the injury. He appeared to get hurt when bumping into teammate Damien Wilkins.

Hawks coach Larry Drew continued to tweak his lineup in the team's seventh game since losing top scorer Joe Johnson for an estimated four to six weeks with an elbow injury. Center Jason Collins started in a big lineup the last three games before returning to a reserve role against the Pacers. Maurice Evans started at Johnson's shooting guard spot.

Drew said he was returning to the combination most effective in Atlanta's 102-92 win at Indiana on Nov. 16.

NOTES: The Pacers' last win at Atlanta was on Dec. 22, 2006. ... The Hawks made only one of their first 12 shots from the field. ... Hawks C Zaza Pachulia, who had flulike symptoms and did not travel with the team for Friday night's loss at San Antonio, did not score while playing less than 6 minutes.