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NBA: Pacers rout Hawks to level playoff series

Paul George scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds Tuesday to lead the Indiana Pacers over Atlanta 101-85 and level their NBA first-round playoff series at one win each. George also contributed six assists and four steals for the Pacers, who had the best record in the Eastern Conference. They equalized ahead of the next two games in the best-of-seven series on Thursday and Saturday at Atlanta, where the Pacers have won only twice since December 2006. The Pacers outscored the Hawks 31-13 in the third quarter to seize a 79-65 edge and stretched the lead as large as 27 points in the final period. Indiana made 12-of-16 shots in the third quarter and limited the Hawks to only 5-of-20 from the floor to take command. Luis Scola came off the bench to score 20 points and pull down seven rebounds for Indiana, which also had 15 points from George Hill, 10 of them in the pivotal third quarter. Paul Millsap led Atlanta with 19 points while Jeff Teague added 14.