Hawks vs Pacers: Atlanta Announces Starting Five for Matchup With Pacers

Atlanta and Indiana are going to face off against each other tonight in what is actually a pretty important in-season tournament game. Indiana can clinch the group tonight with a win over the Hawks, but Atlanta would still be alive to win the group if they win tonight and Cleveland beats Philadelphia.

Coming into tonight, there was a new addition to the injury report for Atlanta. Aj Griffin was ruled out for tonight's game against Indiana and both Kobe Bufkin and Mouhamed Gueye were still out.

The starting lineup for the Hawks did not change tonight. Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, De'Andre Hunter, Jalen Johnson, and Clint Capela were the starters for Atlanta. Indiana did not have any major injury concerns outside of Andrew Nembhard they had their starting five: Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Bruce Brown, Aaron Nesmith, and Myles Turner.

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.

his 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.

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.

Hawks vs Pacers: AJ Griffin Will Not Play Tonight for Atlanta

Follow Jackson on X here: @jackoncaudell

Follow Hawks coverage on Facebook here: All Hawks