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

The final day of the NBA regular season is here and it is going to be one of the wildest ones in recent memory. There is a lot still at stake today for teams, but the Atlanta Hawks are not one of those teams. 

Atlanta has been locked into the No.10 spot for some time and will go to Chicago to face the Bulls in the first round of the NBA play-in tournament. Indiana on the other hand comes into this game in a three-way tie with the Magic and the 76ers for the No. 5 spot and they do not want to fall into the play-in tournament. This game is a whole lot more meaningful for Indiana than Atlanta today and there is also a question over how long the Hawks are going to play their regular starters. 

In the last game against Minnesota, Atlanta played their regular starters for three quarters but rested them in the fourth. I thought it was smart for head coach Quin Snyder to have the starters play for that time because they have not had a lot of time to play together since Trae Young was injured. How long they play today is the big question. Only Clint Capela was on the injury report as far as starters go, suggesting that Atlanta will at least play them a little bit. 

Game Preview

It is hard to preview today like a normal game because of the uncertainty over what the Hawks will do today. 

Indiana and Atlanta are two of the best offenses in the NBA, led by star point guards. Trae Young and Tyrese Haliburton are two of the league's best passers and have had big games against each other when their two teams have played. Young has looked good in the two games since coming back from injury, but I don't expect him to play much today. Atlanta will need him to play big minutes in their next game. 

Dejounte Murray was having another good game against Minnesota before not playing the final quarter. Murray has had to play a lot of minutes with Young out and he would benefit from getting some rest today. 

De'Andre Hunter is one of the Hawks's most important players on both ends of the court and he played really well on Friday vs Minnesota. Hunter has had issues with injuries this year and I don't think he will play a lot today. 

Bogdan Bogdanovic was a starter the other night instead of Vit Krejci and like Murray, he had to play a lot of minutes while Young was out. He is another player that would benefit from rest today. 

Clint Capela is on the injury report and is questionable due to rest. If he sits, Bruno Fernando will get the start, and Mouhamed Gueye will likely be the backup center. 

The Hawks have still not made a decision on whether to convert Vit Krejci to a standard contract and have until the start of today's game to do so. Krejci will still play plenty of minutes today. 

Kobe Bufkin and Garrison Matthews will also see minutes for Atlanta today. 

Injury Report

Clint Capela (rest) is questionable. while Seth Lundy, Wesley Matthews, Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, and Saddiq Bey are out.

Isaiah Jackson, Obi Toppin, and Jalen Smith are questionable for Indiana. 

Viewing and Betting Information

Tip-off time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Southeast,

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be big underdogs on the road today, as they are currently 13.5 point underdogs according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 239.5.

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G-Trae Young

G- Dejounte Murray

F- De'Andre Hunter

F- Bogdan Bogdanovic

C- Clint Capela

Don't expect these guys to play much today. If Capela does not start, Bruno Fernando will. 

Pacers:

G-Tyrese Haliburton

G- Andrew Nembhard

F- Aaron Neismith

F- Pascal Siakam

C- Myles Turner