Friday night’s game ended with a thud for the Atlanta Hawks, with the team trailing by as many as 42 points in a lopsided defeat against the San Antonio Spurs. While the reserves did make things more interesting with an impressive stretch in the fourth quarter, Atlanta’s performance left plenty to be desired and, just 24 hours later, the Hawks return to action at home against the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers arrive with a 13-13 record overall and, coming into the 2020-21 campaign, Indiana was a projected playoff team. They are still playing at a solid overall level — including slightly above-average marks in both offensive and defensive efficiency — but the Pacers are just 2-6 in the last eight games, and they will be without their top two wing options, Caris LeVert and T.