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

Atlanta faces the Pacers tonight at home in an attempt to win their second straight game

The Hawks continue their five-game homestand tonight when they host the Indiana Pacers. This is the third time that these two teams have played this year, with the Pacers winning both matchups. This game tonight will be a little different however due to some injuries. 

Tyrese Haliburton has been perhaps the best point guard in the NBA this season, but he is out for this matchup tonight. It is the second straight game the Hawks have played where the opposing team is missing its best player (Joel Embiid was out for the 76ers on Wednesday). Atlanta has some potential for guys to be out tonight as well. 

The first matchup was a thrilling high-scoring game, while last Friday's game was a blowout that favored Indiana. What is going to happen tonight?

Let's preview the game and make a prediction.

Game Preview

Benedict Mathurin vs the Hawks / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Pacers are 1-0 without Haliburton, but there is not question that their offenses is not anywhere as good with him in the lineup. He does an amazing job of setting up his teammates for high-quality shots and nobody else on the team can come close to matching that. 

Indiana has only played one game without Haliburton, a win over the Wizards earlier this week. 

Coming into the game, the Pacers have the best offense in the NBA. They are first in PPG, 2nd in field goal percentage, 7th in three-point attempts, 4th in three-point percentage, 21st in free throw attempts, 29th in rebounding, and 12th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Indiana is 1st in points per 100 possessions, 1st in effective field goal percentage, 9th in turnover percentage, 18th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 19th in free throw rate. The Pacers play at the fastest pace (no pun intended) in the league and try to get as many possessions as possible. Look for Benedict Mathurin and Buddy Hield to have larger offensive responsibilities tonight against the Hawks. 

The last game against the Pacers was embarrassing for the Hawks' defense. The way Indiana plays stylistically is a tough matchup for the Hawks, but giving up 150 points and 50 assists to a team is unacceptable. 

Atlanta and Indiana have arguably the two worst defenses in the NBA. Atlanta is 29th in PPG allowed, 29th in field goal percentage allowed, 20th in three-point attempts allowed, and 28th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 26th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 28th in effective field goal percentage. 

The Hawks's offense is led by Trae Young, who is having one of the best seasons of his career and could be an All-Star starter this year. Dejounte Murray, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Jalen Johnson are the other guys that make this offense work and they all had off games the last time these two teams played. 

The key tonight might be rebounding. Johnson and Clint Capela are a pair of really good rebounders (Johnson had 16 rebounds on Wednesday) and the Pacers are one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA. Capela is probable (right Achilles soreness) for tonight's game and he missed Wednesday's game vs the 76ers. Johnson is starting to emerge as a star on the Hawks and should be in the running for Most Improved Player. 

Atlanta is 4th in PPG, 17th in field goal percentage, 6th in three-point attempts, 17th in three-point percentage, 5th in free throw attempts, 6th in rebounding, and 17th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 7th in points per 100 possessions, 17th in effective field goal percentage, 10th in turnover percentage, 4th in offensive rebounding, and 7th in free throw rate. 

Trae Young vs the 76ers / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Pacers have perhaps the NBA's most exciting offense, but their defense is equally as bad. The Pacer's defensive numbers look very similar to Atlanta's. Indiana is 28th in PPG allowed, 28th in field goal percentage, 1st in three-point attempts allowed, and 20th in three-point percentage. Per Cleaning the Glass they are 27th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 22nd in effective field goal percentage. 

Injury report

Trae Young (right shoulder soreness) and Clint Capela (right Achilles soreness) are listed as probable, Garrison Matthews (left ankle sprain) is questionable and Mouhamed Gueye (right low back stress fracture), De’Andre Hunter (right knee inflammation), Vit Krejci (left shoulder subluxation) and Wesley Matthews (right calf soreness) are all out.

For the Pacers, Haliburton and Jarace Walker are out, while Aaron Nesmith and Jalen Smith are questionable. 

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 at home tonight, as they are 5.5 point favorites according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 251.5.

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G- Dejounte Murray

F- Saddiq Bey

F- Jalen Johnson

C- Clint Capela

Young and Capela are probable, but if they can't play, either Bogdanovic or Onyeka Okongwu will take their place. 

Pacers

G- Andrew Nembhard

G- Bruce Brown

F- Aaron Nesmith

F- Jalen Smith

C- Myles Turner

Watch the injury report to see if Jalen Smith and Aaron Nesmith are in or out tonight. Indiana could end up being very shorthanded. 

Player to Watch on the Hawks- Bogdan Bogdanovic

Bogdanovic is in the running for 6th man of the year, but he had a tough game against the Pacers the last time these two teams met. The Hawks rely on Bogdanovic to put pressure on defenses with his three-point shooting and he is the most important player off the bench for Atlanta. 

Player to Watch on the Pacers- Benedict Mathurin

Mathurin is a talented scorer and the Pacers are going to need him tonight with Haliburton out. Given how poorly the Hawks defend, Indiana still has a shot to win this game and if they do, it might be because of Mathurin having a big game. 

Prediction

The Hawks have a bad taste in their mouth from last Friday and with Haliburton out, I think they will find a way to win tonight. With a big homestand, the Hawks have a chance to improve their record. The talk around this team is mostly about trades, but they have winnable games ahead. The Hawks win decisively tonight. 

Final Score- Hawks 133, Pacers 119

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