Then he smiled.

No way the Atlanta Hawks forward was getting out of those duties. Not after the way he played Monday night.

Smith scored a career playoff-best 29 points as the Hawks built a 17-point lead at halftime, then withstood an Indiana comeback to even the series with a 102-91 victory in Game 4.

“You da one, Smoove,” teammate Dahntay Jones said as he walked by Smith’s locker. “You da one.”

The one, indeed. After struggling much of the second half, the enigmatic Smith made every big play down the stretch. He swished a rare 3-pointer, came up with an offensive rebound to set up a 3 by Kyle Korver, and finished off a fast break with a right-handed dunk. Plus, he did another stout defensive job on Indiana star Paul George, who had to work for every one of his 21 points.

“When he plays like that,” Hawks guard Devin Harris said of Smith, “we’re a very good team.”

With George scoring 18 in the second half, many on very difficult shots, the Pacers made a game of it. But they couldn’t come all the way back from a 57-40 deficit at the break. Indiana got as close as four in the third quarter, and was within five numerous times in the final 10 minutes. But the Pacers expended so much energy getting back in the game they just didn’t have enough to complete the comeback.

Tied at two wins apiece, the teams return to Indianapolis for Game 5 on Wednesday night.

“This is going to be one heck of a series right now,” Pacers center Roy Hibbert said. “I thought we’d be able to at least split down here.”

Korver added 19 points off the bench, most of them coming on his specialty: the 3-pointer. He knocked down five from outside the arc, including the biggest one with 2:33 remaining after Al Horford threw up a wild shot that missed. Smith snatched one of his 11 rebounds and spotted Korver lurking all alone on the outside.

“Energy and effort,” Smith said. “If we play with those two words and play together — I take that back, make it three words — we’re a pretty good basketball team.”

Horford chipped in with 18 points, and Anthony Tolliver made all three of his shots from beyond the 3-point line, providing a big boost every time the Hawks needed one.

But it was Smith who made sure the Hawks got the game they absolutely had to have before going back on the road.

“Just his energy,” Horford said. “When he plays with that level of energy, it makes such a difference. I’m not saying he doesn’t do it all the time, but when he’s so engaged and doing the little things, it makes a big difference to us.”

Indiana was better offensively than Game 3 but still struggled to make shots, finishing at 38 percent on a 32-of-84 performance. George came alive after halftime, connecting three times from beyond the stripe, while every other starter was in double figures.

It wasn’t enough.

The Hawks beat Indiana for the 13th straight time at Phillips Arena, a streak that dates to 2006. But the Pacers can take solace with not having to win in Atlanta, as long as they take care of business on their home court.

“That’s a great Atlanta team over there,” George Hill said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be an easy series. We knew they weren’t going to lay down. It’s always tough for us to play here. It’s good we have two more games on our home court if necessary.”

Then again, Indiana must be wondering how the series got to this point after the Pacers dominated the first two games in their building, averaging 110 points and a 16-point margin of victory.

The Hawks turned the momentum with a 90-69 blowout in Game 3. They did enough good things in the first half and the closing minutes to get the series back where it started as they head back to the heartland.

“We contested pretty much every shot they took,” Smith said. “That’s what it’s going to take (to win at Indiana). ”

The Pacers played with much more effort than they did Saturday, but it didn’t matter in the second quarter. Not with the Hawks gunning away from the outside — they went 7 of 8 from 3-point range in the period — and running the court with so much abandon that coach Larry Drew had to call a 20-second timeout late in the first half just to allow his players to catch their breath.

Atlanta appeared on the way to a second straight blowout. Not so fast.

Indiana turned up the defensive pressure, while the Hawks began walking the ball up and the court and getting sloppy. The Pacers ripped off a 15-1 spurt that nearly wiped out an 18-point deficit, holding Atlanta without a field goal for a good chunk of the third quarter. After Horford’s dunk with 10:05 left in the period, the Hawks didn’t make another basket until Harris’ nifty dash from one end of the court to the other for a layup with 1:34 remaining.

“That was a real gutsy performance by our team,” Drew said.

Atlanta was able to stick with its big lineup after 7-foot center Johan Petro dashed back from Miami on a private jet sent by the team owners after witnessing the birth of his first child. Jacob Petro was born about 2 p.m. and his father hustled off to the airport, making it to Phillips Arena about two hours before tipoff.

If the birth had taken longer, Petro was planning to stay in south Florida. Instead, he played 22 minutes with hardly any sleep the past two days, contributing four points and eight rebounds.

Atlanta dealt with an old bugaboo in the second half: free throw shooting. At one point, the Hawks had made just 8 of 18 before Horford knocked down five of six to make the percentage look a little more respectable. Still, they finished 25 of 38 at the line, squandering a chance to put the Pacers away earlier.

Game notes

Smith appeared to be standing even farther behind the line than usual on free throws. It didn’t help his percentage, as he made 9 of 16. … Harris was late coming back out for the third quarter. Apparently suffering from dehydration, he took an IV in the locker room as a precaution before returning to the game midway through the period. … The Hawks’ bench outscored the Indiana reserves 30-19.

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Atlanta At Indiana
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, April 21, 2013
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
TV: 1 p.m. ET, TNT
PREDICTION: Pacers 98, Hawks 95

Atlanta did not exactly finish with a flurry, either, losing five of their final seven to erase any chance of homecourt advantage in the first round. The Hawks went 19-22 on the road and dropped four of their final six away from Atlanta during the regular season, including a 100-94 setback at Indiana on March 25. Smith scored 20 points but the Hawks were outrebounded 49-38 in the loss. Smith played sparingly over the final weeks while fighting off a knee injury but looked strong when he was in the lineup and shot 55 percent from the field in the final month. Atlanta is counting on the point guard combo of Jeff Teague and Devin Harris to give it an advantage on the perimeter. Teague averaged nine assists in April and cut his turnovers to 2.3 – the lowest of any month.

Indiana looked like a lock for the No. 2 seed in the East before its slump coincided with the New York Knicks’ surge. Either way, the Pacers will have to make it to the Eastern Conference finals if the want to get another crack at the Heat. Indiana led the NBA in rebounding average behind Hibbert and West and was second in points allowed despite the letup on that end late in the season. The biggest difference between this spring and last is the increase role of shooting guard Lance Stephenson, who has given the team a tenacious perimeter defender and a solid shooting option on the wing. Stephenson missed the last meeting with the Hawks but collected 14 points and six rebounds in a 114-103 win over them on Feb. 5.

Stats and Records

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Atlanta At Charlotte
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Where: Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina
TV: 7 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Atlanta, Charlotte)
Prediction: Hawks 95, Bobcats 91.

Oddsmakers currently have the Hawks listed as 6-point favorites versus the Bobcats, while the game’s total is sitting at 194½.

Atlanta is adjusting to life without guard Lou Williams, who was lost for the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last week. Guard Devin Harris is listed as questionable with a sprained left ankle, and reserves Anthony Morrow (hip) and DeShawn Stevenson (knee) also are questionable, while backup center Zaza Pachulia (Achilles) is not expected to make the trip. The Hawks still have their two biggest stars in Josh Smith (16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds) and Al Horford (15.6 points, 9.8 rebounds).

The Hawks were a 104-96 winner in their most recent outing at home against the Timberwolves. They earned a push of the 8-point spread as favorites, while the total score (200) made winners of OVER bettors.

Team record: 23-18 SU, 16-23-2 ATS
is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Charlotte
The total has gone OVER in 8 of last 9 games when playing on the road against Charlotte
The total has gone OVER in 6 of last 7 games when playing Charlotte
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of last 7 games on the road
When playing on Wednesday are 5-5
Before playing Boston are 6-4
After playing Minnesota are 4-6
After a win are 4-6

Unlike the Hawks, the Bobcats can say they’re relatively healthy – forward Byron Mullens (11.6 points, 7.8 rebounds) is the only player expected to miss the game – but the good news stops there. Charlotte has been one of the least efficient teams at both ends of the floor, and two of the team’s top three scorers – Ramon Sessions (14.3 points) and Ben Gordon (13 points) – are reserves. Kemba Walker leads the way with 17.9 points and 5.7 assists per game.

The Bobcats were a 100-94 loser in their most recent outing at home against the Rockets. They covered the 7-point spread as underdogs, while the total score (194) made winners of UNDER bettors.

Team record: 10-31 SU, 16-25 ATS
Current streak: lost 2 straight games.

The total has gone OVER in 8 of last 9 games when playing at home against Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 6 of last 7 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of last 7 games
is 8-16 ATS in its last 24 games

When playing on Wednesday are 3-7
Before playing Minnesota are 3-7
After playing Houston are 3-7
After a loss are 3-7

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Reserve forward Mike Scott scored 10 points to lead Atlanta as none of the starters reached double figures. Josh Smith and Kyle Korver had nine points each.

Jeff Teague had a layup with 7.9 seconds left to prevent the Hawks’ lowest scoring total in franchise history.

Atlanta has lost five straight on the road and six of seven overall.

The Bulls held the Hawks to just five points in the second quarter and led 48-20 at the break. Ivan Johnson had a basket for the Hawks with 2:54 left in the first quarter, and Atlanta did not score again until Al Horford’s tip with 5:15 left in the second. The Hawks missed 17 consecutive shots during the drought while getting outscored 14-0.

They finished the 2 for 21 from the field in the second quarter, with Smith making a free throw and a jumper for Atlanta’s other points. The Hawks shot 20.5 percent on 8-of-39 shooting in the first half. Josh Smith was 3 for 10 Horford 2 for 8 in the opening two periods.

Boozer had 14 points and Deng eight to help the Bulls to their halftime lead. Noah had 12 rebounds in the half and finished with 16 and nine points.

The Bulls set a record for the fewest points allowed, eclipsing the previous mark of 59 by Orlando last March 19. Atlanta’s 20 points in the first half also set a Chicago record for the fewest allowed in a half, bettering the 22 scored by the Knicks in 1999. The Bulls also limited New York to five points in the second quarter of that game.

The Hawks’ previous scoring lows were six points in a quarter (at Minnesota) in 1994, 25 in a half — accomplished three times, most recently against New Orleans in 2011.

Tensions heated up in the third quarter. After Hamilton was called for an offensive foul on Devin Harris, Harris pushed Hinrich hard to the floor as he was attempting a layup. Hinrich had to be restrained by teammates after he rushed toward Harris, who was called for a flagrant one. In seperate incidents, Teague and Smith were called for technicals in the third quarter.

Taj Gibson, who had five blocks, got fans on their feet with a thunderous dunk over Anthony Tolliver to put the Bulls up 79-47 with 7:13 left.

Game notes

The Bulls’ biggest lead was 44 points. … In the teams’ last meeting, the Hawks beat the Bulls 92-75 in Atlanta on Dec. 22. … Hawks G Anthony Morrow missed the game with a lower back injury.

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