The Indiana Pacers had to work to even their best-of-seven series against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday afternoon, but in doing so showed signs of life as the playoffs progress.

They didn't blow the doors off the Hawks as they did in the second half of Game 2, when everything seemed to be clicking, but the defense was active, they survived long offensive droughts and displayed the confidence of a No. 1 seed. Those three things were the trademarks of their early-season success.

After winning Game 2, the Pacers sat back and watched the Hawks take the fight to them in Game 3. If Indiana wants to avoid facing elimination the next time these teams square off in Atlanta, they'll have to be the aggressors on Monday night.

The Pacers opened up a 6-0 lead at Philips Arena, but the Hawks took those early punches with resilience. Indiana owned the first quarter thanks to a strong performance from Evan Turner, who stepped up when Lance Stephenson picked up two early fouls. I called for Vogel to take minutes away from Turner in this space two nights ago, but he was very good in the opening quarter.

Turner had seven points (3-for-4 shooting) and three assists in a little more than eight minutes. The former Philadelphia 76er has struggled in his new reduced role, but excelled with a chance to get some early offense. He would finish with 11 points, four assists and two rebounds in more than 20 minutes. More importantly than anything he contributed after the first quarter, he played within the offense.

Indiana struggled offensively in the second quarter, watching a seven-point lead after 12 minutes disappear entirely as they trailed 48-42 at halftime. The Pacers managed just 13 points on 5-for-20 shooting in the period, while the Hawks went 11-for-25 and didn't commit a single turnover.

The third quarter has been the fulcrum of the series thus far, and that held true in this one. The Hawks had a 54-44 lead at the 8:59 mark, but Indiana dominated the remainder to take a 66-65 lead into the fourth. They turned up their defensively intensity, holding Atlanta to 5-for-23 shooting, including 2-for-10 from deep. Indiana, meanwhile, hit 50% of their 18 shots and at one point went on a 14-3 run with Paul Millsap on the bench.

It didn't have the sizzle of the thrilling finish in Dallas between the Mavericks and Spurs, but the final minutes in Atlanta were hotly contested. Jeff Teague gave the Hawks an 80-74 lead on a three-pointer with 7:31 remaining and the two teams traded baskets and stops over the next five minutes.

With the season potentially on the line, Paul George and West delivered a pair of threes over a 38-second span to turn a two-point deficit into an 89-85 lead with 1:33 left. The Pacers tried to let the Hawks back in the game -- West fouled Kyle Korver on a three-point attempt on the ensuing possession and George missed two free throws that would have made it a two-possession game in the final seconds -- but they came out unscathed.

Turner Rises

Evan Turner played an unsung role in the Pacers' victory, lifting the offense through a difficult patch in the first quarter. His numbers are mentioned above, but he made a few plays of note that were scored simply as assists, but had a lasting impact on the game.

He fed Roy Hibbert perfectly on a bounce pass, leading to an easy score for the struggling center. He also led Ian Mahinmi to the rim for an emphatic dunk. Hibbert's offense has famously disappeared and Mahinmi doesn't have the best hands. Creating easy looks for those two is no small feat.

Millsap & Teague

Paul Millsap starred for the Hawks in the first half, scoring 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting with three blocks and a pair of rebounds. He abused whomever Frank Vogel threw at him early, but was less effective after the half.

Millsap went 3-for-7 from the field in the second half. He finished with a robust 29 points and seven rebounds, but wasn't nearly the dominant force he had been in the first two quarters.

The Hawks would not have fared as well as they did if it weren't for Millsap (and Kyle Korver) because Jeff Teague struggled. He had 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds, but shot 5-for-15 and committed four turnovers. Two of those turnovers came on consecutive possessions, leading to a six-point swing on the strength of threes from Paul George and David West.

Hill & Hibbert

The two most often criticized members of the Pacers during their recent swoon have been George Hill and Roy Hibbert. Hill appears more uncomfortable than ever at point guard as he would prefer to play more off the ball, while Hibbert has looked like a lost puppy both mentally and physically. 

Hibbert wasn't a huge factor, but he wasn't a disaster either and that represents progress. Vogel rightfully opted to keep him in the starting lineup, but played him just 25 minutes. Just eight of those came in the second half as Hibbert's six points, three rebounds and two blocks all came in the first half.

It won't show up in any advanced analytics, but Hibbert deserves credit for passionately cheering on his teammates from the sidelines. I'm not being sarcastic either, especially when you consider what Vogel has asked him to do. Sit down in the most important moments in favor of Mahinmi despite two-straight All-Star berths and a $14 million salary.

Hill had his most complete game of the series with 15 points, five assists, three rebounds, two steals and a block. He played excellent defense, attacked the basket and showed leadership on the floor.

In two wins, Hill is averaging 15 points and shooting 62.5%. In the two losses, he has scored just eight points on 31.6% shooting.