NBA PLAYOFFS / EASTERN CONFERENCE : Blaylock Comes Alive to Keep Hawks Alive

Mookie Blaylock did it all Tuesday night to keep the Atlanta Hawks alive in the NBA playoffs.

Blaylock turned in his second triple-double of the series with 14 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds as Atlanta defeated Indiana, 88-76, trimming the Pacers’ series lead to 3-2. Game 6 is Thursday night at Indianapolis.

Blaylock also had four steals and a blocked shot, sparking an Atlanta defense that held the Pacers to 35 percent shooting for the game and just 15 points in the fourth quarter.

“I thought we did a pretty good job on Danny Manning, but Mookie turned the game around, especially with his defense, picking up loose balls and rebounding,” Pacers Coach Larry Brown said. “It was like Game 2, Mookie dominated the game.”

In that game, Blaylock had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists to help Atlanta even the series at 1-1.

Craig Ehlo came off the bench to score 22 points and Manning added 20 for the Hawks, who pulled away late in the fourth quarter.

Reggie Miller led the Pacers with 22 points, including five three-point baskets, and Derrick McKey added 20.

The Pacers were held scoreless in the final 2:39 as they failed to get the ball into Miller’s hands, opting instead for tough attempts that didn’t go. Haywoode Workman ended up 0 for eight from the field and Byron Scott was two for 11.

“We pressured people tonight,” Blaylock said. “The Pacers had to work for their shots. We kept our hands in their faces. Craig kept us in the game in the third, then we got the defensive stops and got into our game early in the fourth.”

Atlanta played the final quarter without leading scorer Kevin Willis, who sprained his right thumb in the game. He started despite having hyperextended his right knee in Game 4 in Indianapolis on Sunday. Willis finished with 10 points, eight of those in the first five minutes of the game.

“I’ll be ready to go on Thursday,” Willis said.

“It was a tremendous win for us,” Hawks Coach Lenny Wilkens said.