Hawks vs Pacers: AJ Griffin Will Not Play Tonight for Atlanta

Griffin has been in and out of the rotation for the Hawks this season

Atlanta has made a new addition to the injury report ahead of their matchup with the Indiana Pacers tonight. 

AJ Griffin (Illness) will not play tonight vs Indiana. Griffin has been in and out of the rotation for the Hawks this season. He has played in seven of the eleven games this season and is shooting 42.9% from three. 

AJ Griffin is out for the Hawks tonight / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Kobe Bufkin and Mouhamed Gueye remain out.

Both players have been on the injury report and last Sunday, Atlanta had a more detailed report on the two players:

"Guard Kobe Bufkin underwent an X-ray and medical review yesterday on his left thumb, which he fractured on Nov. 2. He will continue to be reviewed weekly and his rehabilitation will progress based on his healing. His return to play timeline is 8-to-10 weeks from the date of injury.

Forward Mouhamed Gueye, who has missed the last two games with a right lower back strain, underwent an MRI yesterday at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex. The MRI revealed a right low back stress fracture. He will be re-evaluated in four weeks and his status will be updated as appropriate."

For the Pacers, Andrew Nembhard is questionable. 

An @emoryhealthcare injury report for tonight’s game vs. Indiana:

AJ Griffin (illness): Out
Kobe Bufkin (left thumb fracture): Out
Mouhamed Gueye (right low back stress fracture): Out pic.twitter.com/IimICPfpR2

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 21, 2023

Indiana plays at a very fast pace and they are one of the hardest offenses to stop and the guy that makes it all go is Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton leads the NBA in assists and is averaging 23.5 PGG. He continues to look like a superstar in the making and will be tough to stop.

The Pacers lead the NBA in PPG (125.7), are 4th in field goal percentage, 7th in three-point percentage, and 7th in turnovers per game. Per Cleaning the Glass, they are 3rd in points per 100 possessions, 3rd in effective field goal percentage, 4th in turnover percentage, and 15th in offensive rebounding percentage.

It is not just Haliburton though. Myles Turner, Benedict Mathurin, Bruce Brown, and Obi Toppin are having good seasons and Haliburton sets them up well in this offense. 

Tyrese Haliburton leads the NBA in assists / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Group play in the in-season tournament is starting to wind down and tonight's game is huge for East Group A, the group that the Hawks are in.

Currently in East Group A, there is only one team that is undefeated in group play and that would be the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers are 2-0 in group play and they have been one of the most intriguing teams in this NBA season so far. Tyrese Haliburton leads the NBA in assists and the Pacers as a team are 1st in the NBA in PPG.

The Hawks still have a path to winning the group. If they can get wins over the Pacers and the Cavaliers and have Philadelphia lose to Cleveland, they will win Group A. They are going to have to start playing better though, as they have lost four of their last six games.

Atlanta would be in great shape in the group if they win tonight and the 76ers lose to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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