NBA Sunday: Pacers blown out at home by struggling Hawks

The Suns led for much of the game and went up by 14 points in the third quarter, but Oklahoma City didn’t go away. The Thunder trailed by just three heading into the final frame after going down by as many as 14 points in the third quarter, and the contest remained competitive in a frenzied fourth quarter.

James added six assists and five rebounds to go along with his 38 points, which he acquired on 13-of-22 shooting. Miami shot 55.7-percent overall and 12-of-27 from three.

The final 19-point margin wasn’t really indicative of just how badly the Hawks beat the Pacers down. The game was already out of hand after the first quarter, with Atlanta grabbing a 33-11 lead. Indiana’s offense remained a train wreck in the second quarter, only managing 12 points after the anemic 11-point first. The Hawks led 55-23 at the half, and the 23 first-half points set a franchise low.

Here’s a perfect summation of the Pacers’ first half:

No no no!

After Miami chipped away at an early 16-3 deficit, it was an even game through the first two quarters. The Knicks led 50-48 at half despite shooting 15 percent from the field worse than the Heat, but they made up for that difference with 13 second-chance points.

Miami fixed those rebounding issues in the third quarter while outscoring the Knicks 25-14 in the period as New York got stuck launching 11 threes and hitting just one.

ABC has a double-header on a busy NBA Sunday, then NBATV gets into the action with a three-game set that includes a pair of potential Western Conference playoff matchups.

1 p.m. ET, ABC

Hey LeBron, if you’re wondering why sometimes you don’t get the hard fouls called on you that other players get, this is why.

Bonus flexing GIF: