3 Studs from Indiana Pacers monster victory over Atlanta Hawks

The Indiana Pacers’ winning ways continued on Friday night as they absolutely rolled the Atlanta Hawks, winning by an impressive final score of 150-116.

Despite Dejounte Murray’s 30 points, which come at a time when his name is being tossed around in trade rumors, the Pacers’ offense was too much for Atlanta’s lackluster defense to handle.

Perhaps most impressively, however, was the fact that Indiana dished out 50 assists on 60 made baskets - just three short of an NBA record. They shot 63.8% from the field and 48.7% from behind the three-point line.

Normally, we roll with two studs and one dud, but this game was absolutely incredible, so we’re going to ditch the negativity. Here are three studs from the Pacers’ monster win over the Hawks.

Stud - TJ McConnell

Assists are going to be the leading story of the night, so it’s tough not to include TJ McConnell on the list of the top players from Friday night, as he absolutely showed out in that area.

McConnell ended the game with 10 points, three rebounds, 10 assists, and three steals in 22:48 of action off the pine. He shot an efficient 5-of-6 from the field, too.

Having a veteran like McConnell coming off the bench is a huge advantage for the Pacers. He’s someone who can slow the game down and get everyone involved without all the drama of being desperate for his own looks.

Before the season, head coach Rick Carlisle spoke about how McConnell might not be in the rotation, but it’s looking like that idea ended pretty quickly.