Dunleavy Helps Pacers Stay in the Hunt

Mike Dunleavy scored 28 points, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Atlanta Hawks 112-98 Tuesday night to avoid elimination from the Eastern Conference playoff race. A win by the Hawks would have knocked the Pacers from contention, and Atlanta would have needed just one win or a New Jersey loss the rest of the way to clinch a berth.

Instead, the Pacers are just two games behind the Hawks for the eighth spot with four games left. The Pacers also claimed the tiebreaker against the Hawks by winning two of three matchups this season. Flip Murray had 20 points and 10 rebounds and Danny Granger added 16 for Indiana. The Pacers have won three straight and nine of 12.