The Atlanta Hawks will look to end their futility against the visiting Indiana Pacers on Thursday, as the two teams meet for the first of a two-game set in Atlanta.
Atlanta has dropped five in a row against Indiana, including a five-point loss in Indianapolis on Feb. 1, and all four meetings last season. The Hawks will have two cracks at the surging Pacers, who will play again in State Farm Arena on Saturday.
The Hawks enter play losers in six of eight games, including Tuesday’s 127-121 home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. On the second night of a back-to-back, a late 8-0 Atlanta run knotted the score with just over a minute left before the Bucks scored the game’s final six points to end the Hawks’ chances.
“I thought the effort was there, considering we played on a back-to-back,” Atlanta assistant coach Igor Kokoskov, who filled in for a sick Quin Snyder, said. “We competed for 48 minutes, but playing hard isn’t good enough. We have to play well. We had a low margin of error against a very good team.”
A bright spot for an Atlanta team that sits in the ninth spot of the Eastern Conference standings has been the play of its recent acquisitions, Caris LeVert and Georges Niang. The pair were traded from Cleveland at the trade deadline and are averaging 16.8 points and 13.3 points per game, respectively, since joining the Hawks.
Trae Young leads Atlanta with 23.6 points per contest and paces the entire league with 11.5 assists per game.
The Pacers continue their ascent in the conference’s playoff picture, currently holding the No. 5 seed in the East. Indiana has won six of eight games and is 19-7 since the calendar flipped to 2025.
Last time out, the Pacers saw their 17-point lead over the Houston Rockets turn into a one-point deficit before finishing on a 20-6 run to earn a 13-point home victory Tuesday night. Despite being outrebounded 58-35, Indiana received 28 points and 15 assists from Tyrese Haliburton, who has recorded six straight double-doubles.
“Tyrese was great tonight,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s learned how to adjust to all different types of defenses. He has a great feel for knowing how to keep our runs going and when to get other guys involved. The balance has been great, it’s one of the reasons his turnovers have been very low.”
Since the All-Star break, Haliburton is averaging just 1.1 turnovers per game. Pascal Siakam, who poured in 18 points in Tuesday’s victory, leads the Pacers with 20.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Haliburton chips in 18.5 ppg and 8.9 assists per game.
Indiana hasn’t lost to Atlanta since March 25, 2023, and has taken its last four games against the Hawks by an average of 24.8 points. The Pacers have been without Bennedict Mathurin (16.2 ppg) for the last three games with a sprained left wrist and is questionable to return on Thursday. Haliburton (hip) also is questionable.
–Field Level Media
