Hawks vs Pacers: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups For Tonight's Game

Can the Hawks find a way to defeat the Pacers tonight at home?

Feb 1, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) dribbles the ball against Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks looked like they were going to upset the MIlwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night, but they fell short due to not being able to hit shots at the end. Atlanta is 28-34 now heading into their matchup against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

After a slow start to the season, the Pacers have put it together and look like like a real contender. They made the Eastern Conference Finals last season, but this team feels more complete. They are going to provide a tough test for the Hawks, whether or not Tyrese Haliburton plays tonight or not. Haliburton is listed as questionable coming into tonight's game and that is of course going to be worth tracking leading up to the game.

Game Preview

Coming into tonight's game, the Hawks are 7th in the NBA in PPG, 14th in FG%, 16th in 3PA, 19th in 3P%, 2nd in FTA, 25th in turnovers, and 12th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 17th in points per 100 possessions, 17th in effective field goal percentage, 21st in turnover percentage, 14th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 6th in free throw rate.

Currently, the Hawks rank 27th in PPG allowed, 29th in field goal percentage allowed, 17th in three-point attempts allowed, and 28th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 19th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 28th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

The Pacers have firmly established themselves as one of the ten best offenses in the NBA. They come into this game ranking 9th in PPG, 4th in FG%, 26th in 3PA, 6th in 3P%, 22nd in FTA, 29th in rebounding, and 5th in TO. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Pacers rank 7th in points per 100 possessions, 4th in effective field goal percentage, 5th in turnover percentage, 29th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 19th in free throw rate.

Defensively, they are more exploitable. They rank 20th in PPG allowed, 24th in FG% allowed, 7th in 3PA allowed, and 13th in 3P% allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Indiana is 14th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 22nd in EFG% allowed.

Trae Young finished with 28 points and 13 assists last night and shot 9-24. Young had a couple of chances to make some big baskets late, but missed a couple of floaters. Young had one of his best games of the season last time these two teams met and Atlanta will need him tonight.

Dyson Daniels gets a lot of deserved attention on defense, but his offensive game has come around nicely this year. Daniels had a near triple-double last night, finishing with 16 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. If Haliburton plays, Daniels will be guarding him tonight.

Zaccharie Risacher was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for February, but he could not follow up his 27-point performance on Monday with a strong game. Risacher shot 3-10 from the field and only scored seven points on Tuesday.

Mouhamed Gueye has been in and out of the lineup due to being inconsistent, but he had a strong game on Tuesday. Gueye hit four three-pointers and scored 15 points vs the Bucks, as well as making some big-time blocks. If Gueye plays well, he usually plays more minutes. If not, Georges Niang or Dominick Barlow could see minutes.

Onyeka Okongwu did not have a big night in the stat sheet, scoring only six points and grabbing nine rebounds vs the Bucks. Okongwu has played well overall since being the starter, but he was invisible for most of Tuesday.

The bench has been very good as of late. Caris LeVert had a monster fourth quarter vs the Grizzlies on Monday and followed it up with a 21 point performance on Tuesday. LeVert has been the Hawks best player off the bench, but Niang, Clint Capela, and Terance Mann will need to step up. Mann had a strong first half on Tuesday with nine points, but did not have as good of a second half. Niang struggled shooting the ball on Tuesday, going 3-11 from the field and 2-8 from three. Capela had eight points, eight rebounds, and two blocked shots.

The Hawks defense is what I am watching closely tonight. They have had four straight sub par performances and assuming Haliburton plays, he will be leading a lethal Pacers offense that has given the Hawks plenty of problems before.

Injury Report

Trae Young (right Achilles tendinitis) is probable while Vit Krejci and Larry Nance Jr remain out for the Hawks.

Tyrese Haliburton (hip) and Benedict Mathurin (Wrist) are being listed as questionable for tonight's game.

Odds

According to Fanduel Sportsbook, the Pacers are 2.5 point favorites against the Hawks tonight and the total is set at 247.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER. 

Projected starting lineups

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Zaccharie Risacher

F - Mouhamed Gueye

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Pacers

G- Tyrese Haliburton

G- Aaron Nesmith

F- Andrew Nembhard

F- Pascal Siakam

C- Myles Turner

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