Hawks vs Pacers: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups

Atlanta needs a win tonight to stay alive in the in-season tournament

Atlanta has lost back-to-back games and four of their last six and needs to get some positive momentum going for the season. The Hawks are playing better than their record suggests, but the record is what matters most at the end of the day. 

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.

So who wins tonight? Let's break down how these two teams match up.  

Game Preview

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

This is going to be a matchup of two of the best offenses in the NBA. 

Atlanta comes into the game 5th in the NBA in PPG (119.9), 10th in FG%, 17th in three-point percentage, 15th rebounding, and 23rd in turnovers per game. The Hawks have had to face some of the NBA's best defenses early in the season (Minnesota, New York, Philadelphia) and they still have one of the NBA's best offenses. On top of that, Trae Young has yet to start playing to his normal levels, especially when it comes to shooting. Young is averaging 23.4 PPG and is second in the NBA in APG (11.1), but he is not shooting the ball well, especially from three. 

Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 5th in points per 100 possessions, 10th in effective field goal percentage, 3rd in offensive rebounding percentage, 2nd in free throw rate, and 23rd in turnover rate. 

Dejounte Murray is off to a solid start to the season, but he is coming off his worst game of the season against Philadelphia. This season, he is averaging 21.3 PPG, 5.4 APG, and 4.3 RPG. Jalen Johnson continues to show why he should be a most improved player candidate and he is averaging 15 PPG and 7.9 RPG to start the season while shooting 44.1% from three. He has been a great addition to the starting lineup and not just on offense but on defense. 

Atlanta has one of the best bench units in the NBA, but they had a poor game against Philadelphia on Friday. Bogdan Bogdanovic, Saddiq Bey, and Onyeka Okongwu will be the top guys on the Hawks bench, but Wesley Matthews has started to play off the bench as well while 2nd-year forward AJ Griffin has not. 

The Pacers defense is one of the NBA's worst. Indiana is 28th in PPG allowed, 26th in field goal percentage allowed, and 26th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Pacers are 27th in points per 100 possessions allowed and 18th in effective field goal percentage allowed. If the Hawks don't turn the ball over, they should be able to score at will on the Pacers. 

Dejounte Murray is off to one of the best starts to his career / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

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. 

Atlanta's defense is better than the Pacers, but not by much. Atlanta is 24th in PPG allowed, 22nd in field goal percentage allowed, and 22nd in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 21st in points allowed per 100 possessions and 21st in expected field goal percentage allowed. One key stat to know is that Atlanta is 8th in turnover percentage caused and that could lead to a few extra possessions against one of the NBA's worst defenses. 

Viewing and Betting Information

Tip-off time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Southeast

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks are currently favorites tonight, as they are 4.0 point favorites according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 251.5.

Injury Report 

Ahead of the game tonight, Atlanta released its injury report and it has not changed since Friday. 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. 

Projected Starting Lineups

Trae Young will lead the Hawks offense tonight / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G- Dejounte Murray

F- De'Andre Hunter

F- Jalen Johnson

C- Clint Capela

Pacers

G- Tyrese Haliburton

G- Benedict Mathurin

F- Bruce Brown

F- Obi Toppin

C- Myles Turner

These should be the starting lineups unless there is a late addition to the injury report later today. 

Player to Watch on the Hawks- Trae Young

Young has not shot the ball well, but he has still been able to lead the offense and set his teammates up. He is facing one of the NBA's worst defenses tonight and it would be good to see Young be effective as a scorer. If he can play to the level he is capable of, this offense will be tough for anyone to stop. 

Player to Watch on the Pacers- Tyrese Haliburton

It is hard to pick anyone else on this team. As Haliburton goes, so go the Pacers. If the Hawks can slow him down tonight, they should stand a good chance of winning. He is really hard to slow down though and Dejounte Murray is going to have his hands full guarding him, but Murray is a good perimeter defender. 

Prediction

This should be a fun game to watch. The offenses are both really good and they play at a fast pace. With the game being in Atlanta and Indiana's defense being worse than the Hawks, give me Atlanta to end their losing streak tonight. 

Final Score: Hawks 138, Pacers 133

Atlanta Hawks vs Indiana Pacers: Start time, where to watch, betting odds

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