Indiana
Atlanta Gives Up 157 Points in Season Finale to Indiana; Will Face Chicago In NBA Play In Tournament Wednesday
While they did not have anything to play for, the Atlanta Hawks were hoping to end their five-game losing streak and get a win vs the Indiana Pacers, a team they have not played well against all season. Indiana was hoping to remain in the top six in the Eastern Conference standings and did not want to lose to Atlanta.
The Hawks defense made sure that they did not have a chance in this game.
From the start of the game, the Hawks could not guard the Pacers, allowing Indiana to get anything they wanted. Atlanta did not play poorly on offense, but it was so bad on the other end of the court that they trailed for much of this game and ended up getting blown out. Atlanta ends its regular season on a six-game losing streak and they are not playing like a team that will inspire much confidence in the play-in tournament this week. This would be the second time this season that the Hawks gave up at least 150 points to Indiana.
Let’s recap today’s miserable afternoon.
The starting lineup for the Hawks today was Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, De’Andre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Bruno Fernando. Fernando got the start with Capela out.
Indiana started Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner.
Atlanta has had trouble matching up with the Pacers this year and that was not more evident than in the first half of this game and more specifically the first quarter.
Indiana raced out to an 8-0 lead only two minutes in the game and before the Hawks knew it, they were trailing 31-15 and there was stil five minutes left in the quarter. It was an awful start defensively and Fernando had a tough start to the game on both ends. He picked up two quick fouls, which meant Mouhamed Gueye got in the game quicker than expected, but he made the most of his minutes. Gueye was the lone bright spot in the first quarter for the Hawks, scoring 10 points.
The problem was, the Hawks allowed Indiana to score an unthinkable 49 points in the first quarter, shooting 74% from the field and 55% from three. Myles Turner picked up some early fouls, but still scored 11 points, Siakam had 10 points and T.J. McConnell came off the bench to score seven. Indiana led 49-34 and Atlanta had no answers for them.
The second quarter was the Hawks’s best of the game by far and they got right back in the game. Atlanta got on a 16-3 run to cut the lead to one point, 62-61. The guy leading the charge for the Hawks was Murray, who would go on to score 20 points in the second quarter.
After Atlanta cut into the lead, Indiana went on another big run quickly and led 86-72 at the half. Atlanta scored 72 points in the first half, but trailed by double-digits at halftime. Everything about the first half defense was horrible, but it was only begining.
Atlanta shot 55% from the field and 44% from three in the first half. Murray had 22 points, Gueye had a career-high 13 in the first half, and Young and Bogdanovic had 10 each.
The numbers for Indiana’s offense were staggering. The Pacers shot 64% in the first half from the field and 45% from three. Turner had 18 points and eight rebounds, Siakam had 17 points, Haliburton had 12 points and eight assists, and McConnell had 12 off the bench.
The third quarter is where the game was officially put away.
The Pacers continued to punish the Hawks poor defense and the Hawks offense went cold. Atlanta shot 30% from the field and 20% from three, while the Pacers shot 70% from the field and 67% from three. The best thing to come out of the second half was that Trae Young surpassed Doc Rivers to become the all-time assist leader in Atlanta Hawks history.
The Hawks were outscored 39-21 in the third quarter and that was a wrap on the game. The starters played far longer than I would have thought in the fourth quarter, but the Pacers would roll over the Hawks for a 42 point win. It was an embarrassing final game for the Hawks and their 6th straight loss to end the regular season.
For the game, Atlanta shot 44% from the field and 33% from three. Murray led the way with 32 points, Gueye had 19 points, and Bogdanovic had 18. Hawks head coach Quin Snyder praised Gueye for his performance today, one of the few bright spots for Atlanta.
It will now be a do-or-die week for Atlanta. They will head to Chicago to play the Bulls in the first play-in game on Wednesday at 9:30. If they were to win that, they would face the loser of the 76ers/Heat matchup on Wednesday. If they win both games, they will travel to Boston to face the No.1 seeded Celtics for a first-round matchup.
Fairfield native, David K. Wells, 69, and his wife Aileen, were found dead inside their home in Newburgh, Indiana, Monday night. Warrick County Sheriff Michael Wilder said that deputies responded to the residence just before 8:00 p.m. after dispatch received a call around 7:40 p.m. from a friend of the family requesting a welfare check. When officers didn’t get an answer at the door, they entered through the back of the home and found the couple deceased. Officers cleared the home and waited for detectives to arrive. Investigators also obtained a search warrant to do a further examination of the residence. Authorities were able to notify family members and conduct interviews to gather additional information. Sheriff Wilder said investigators believe the couple had been dead for less than 24 hours before they were found. He also said there is no indication of any forced entry or an intruder. Sheriff Wilder has not made a formal determination as to what happened. Autopsies for the couple were scheduled for yesterday morning to help determine a cause. David Wells grew up in Fairfield and graduated from Fairfield High School in 1975. He had a long career in television commercial production in Evansville and had more recently operated the Cigar! Cigar! tobacco store in Evansville.
INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — Indiana saw a significant decline in veteran homelessness last year, despite the total number of homelessness rising across the state.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) annual estimation of the homeless population, known as the Point in Time (PIT) count, Indiana saw an 18.7% decline in veteran homelessness in 2025 compared to the year before.
That marked the second-largest decline of any state by percentage.
Helping Veterans and Families (HVAF) of Indiana specializes in assistance for veterans facing homelessness. CEO Emmy Hildebrand told News 8 the formula that’s finding success is the same that works with any at-risk group: housing and wrap-around services.
Hildebrand said that the formula needs support from the state.
“There is no state funding supporting homeless services in our state,” Hildebrand said. “And very little local funding outside Indianapolis.”
Safety net programs have faced budget cuts, with lawmakers eliminating funding for the Housing First program in 2025. It supported organizations helping people secure stable housing.
And housing advocates have criticized Indiana’s public camping ban as essentially making it illegal to be homeless.
HVAF client Terri Massey, a 34-year-old Navy veteran, said the stigma of being homeless was the most difficult challenge to overcome.
“I’m still trying to provide for my kids,” Massey said “I’m (not) out here being lazy or not trying to do better.”
Massey was working, supporting her children, but found herself sleeping in cars and hotel rooms because she didn’t have stable housing. “Going to that work, working 10 hours, leaving, going to sleep in my car.”
HVAF helped place Massey in a permanent apartment. HVAF also placed Massey in a different kind of “bootcamp” years after her time in the military, learning job skills. She’s looking for a job, but thankful to do it from a place she can call home.
“I am beyond grateful and thankful. I literally pray and thank God every day,” Massey said. “Because for the longest I felt like I was alone. And I had to figure everything out by myself. I didn’t.”
It’s estimated that seven percent of Indiana’s homeless are veterans. Hildebrand said there are federal funds for organizations working with veterans, which support HVAF’s programs.
Still, finding permanent housing is a struggle.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, for every 100 extremely low-income households in Indiana, just 34 rental homes are affordable and available.
“There are so many people on the bubble that are just one emergency away from living in their car, staying with friends and family, or living on the streets because we don’t have the appropriate system here in Indiana,” Hildebrand said.
Hildebrand said lawmakers assured her they would work to support homeless services, but she hasn’t seen any drafted legislation that might be introduced in the next legislative session.
Across the country, about one in 25 people experiencing homelessness previously served active duty in the armed forces, according to numbers from HUD. Veteran homelessness declined 56% between 2009 and 2025.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has issued an Air Quality Action Day for July 8th in Northwest Indiana.
Ozone levels are expected to be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range, also known as the “orange” level. While not everyone will notice or be effected by the conditions, and while they may not be as severe as recent wildfire smoke events, individuals with asthma, COPD, and other health issues should proceed with caution when exercising outside.
Ozone levels are expected to be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range, also known as the “orange” level. (WSBT Photo)
The affected area is all of Northwest Indiana, including the cities of: Crown Point, Gary, Hammond, Kentland, LaPorte, Michigan City, Portage, Rensselaer, Valparaiso and all other cities in the region, especially those near Lake Michigan.
Warm temperatures, mostly sunny skies, and light and varied winds coming off of Lake Michigan are expected to contribute to elevated ozone levels.
To stay up to date on issuances and quality levels in Indiana, visit SmogWatch.IN.gov.
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