INDIANAPOLIS -- It was the second night of a back-to-back, and the Indiana Pacers had just six active bodies to play against the Atlanta Hawks. All five starters were out for various reasons, to go along with several key players off the bench. I thought we might even get a "My team is on the floor" moment from Rick Carlisle in this game.

In the end, it was an admirable effort from the six in uniform, but that group fell just short down the stretch. The Hawks defeated the Pacers by a final score of 108-104.

Here are the main takeaways from Indiana's close

Braden Smith's double-double a bright spot.

It was Braden Smith's first career start, his first career made field goal, and it was also his first career double-double. The hometown kid put together a very strong effort and had 19 points and 10 assists. The Pacers coaching staff couldn't have asked for more from the Purdue grad in this game. Fans don't want to hear about moral victories when their favorite team is 2-6, but games like this can prove to be pretty valuable for players like Smith down the road.

Smith energized the crowd on multiple occasions, took a few charges, and ended up playing 43 minutes. He finished the night shooting 8-for-13 and 2-for-3 from behind the arc. This will absolutely be a performance to build on for the rookie.

Hawks shooting too much to handle.

It was already going to be a difficult night on the defensive end, but then Atlanta decided to make fifteen 3's in the first half alone. They finished with 23 of those from deep and outscored the Pacers by nearly 50 points from behind the arc for the game. Atlanta actually had more 3's than the Pacers had assists in the game. Considering all of that, it's pretty remarkable the Pacers even made this a game. The Hawks were led by Nickeil Alexander-Walker who had 34 points and made nine of those 3's.

Can this effort carry over?

All six players scored in double-figures and shot a combined 48% for the game. This group cut the Atlanta lead down to two with just a minute to play in the 4th quarter and continued to battle despite the hot shooting night from the Hawks. Jay Huff had a big night with 22 points and 8 rebounds. Kobe Brown added 14 points and 6 boards, Quenton Jackson added 20 points, while Jarace Walker finished with 15 points and 7 rebounds. It was a balanced attack met with a lot of heart.

This one still ultimately goes in the loss column, but there's at least a chance this game energizes the team a little bit moving forward. It's a been a disappointing, and at times, lethargic start to the season. Maybe the energy and effort from Monday night's six gives a boost to the full group in the days ahead.

Next up: the Pacers will travel to Memphis on Wednesday for a date with the surprising and surging Memphis Grizzlies.