Atlanta Hawks vs Indiana Pacers: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups for Today's Matchup

After a shorthanded loss against the Rockets, the Hawks have a chance to get back in the win column against a listless Pacers team.

Oct 8, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard (26) dribbles against Atlanta Hawks guard Vit Krejci (27) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

It wasn't a very pretty game, but the Atlanta Hawks couldn't outlast the Houston Rockets in the rockfight that ended in a 104-86 loss for Atlanta. Both teams shot under 45% from the field and the score at halftime was only 43-42 in Atlanta's favor. Unsurprisingly, a Hawks team without Jalen Johnson struggled in the rebounding battle and ultimately got dominated by a 59-46 rebounding margin. The Rockets had 22 offensive rebounds to Atlanta's 14, a significant gap in possessions that ultimately made the difference.

Houston's defense also ran the Hawks' offense into the ground. The Rockets had a nearly unthinkable 14 blocks against Atlanta, which speaks to the fact that it is significantly harder to generate good looks against a long, athletic defense without Jalen Johnson on the court. Atlanta can't honestly be too disappointed with the loss considering how light they are in the frontcourt.

Fortunately, they have a good opportunity to make up for it tonight against the Pacers. The Hawks have largely played well against the Pacers so far this year, which should be expected considering their dismal record. It's true that no team can be underestimated and that the Pacers have been able to occasionally pull out wins over more talented rosters. However, these are the games that the Hawks can't afford to drop if they actually want to make a move towards the postseason.

By the Numbers

Jan 26, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) attempts a layup against Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) and guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

Atlanta's offense looked awful against the Rockets, but this performance has to be taken with a grain of salt considering that they were missing two of their best offensive players in Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu. They are 10th in points, 10th in FG%, 6th in 3P%, 20th in FT%, 25th in rebounds (25th in OREB, 16th in DREB), 1st in assists, and 17th in turnovers per game. They're 21st in offensive rating this year.

Atlanta's defense has largely been a mess - they did their best against the Rockets, but it ultimately wasn't enough due to their talent. Still, they rank 23rd in points allowed, 23rd in FG% allowed, 13th in 3P% allowed, 26th in rebounds allowed, 5th in steals, and 16th in blocks. They're 17th in defensive rating this year.

Since getting blown out by the Hawks, the Pacers' offense actually had a very solid showing against the Chicago Bulls in a 113-110 win. Nevertheless, they are 28th in points, 30th in FG%, 27th in 3P%, 24th in FT%, 22nd in rebounds (21st in OREB, 18th in DREB), 17th in assists, and 12th in turnovers per game. They're dead-last (30th) in offensive rating across the entire NBA.

Unfortunately, their defense has not been able to lift them up either. The Pacers rank 23rd in points allowed, 25th in FG% allowed, 2nd in 3P% allowed, 28th in rebounds allowed, 28th in steals, and 13th in blocks. They're 20th in defensive rating this year.

Three Reasons the Hawks Can Win This Game

Jan 26, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) dribbles the ball towards the basket against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

Jalen Johnson is obviously the Hawks' best player, but it's staggering how bad they are as a rebounding team and offense without him in the lineup. Indiana is actually 28th in TRB% (team rebounding percentage), so this might be one of the few matchups that the Hawks could actually compete on the boards in. They were completely outclassed against the Rockets, but that weakness should be significantly less of a problem against the Pacers even if Johnson can't go.

Christian Koloko hasn't been perfect since he joined the Hawks, but it was encouraging to see him perform decently well against Alperen Sengun on defense. Sengun scored only 9 points on 3-14 shooting with Koloko protecting the rim and that should give him some confidence heading into a matchup with a Pacers team that doesn't have an abundance of talent at the center position. Although it's a small sample size, the duo of Dyson Daniels and Koloko have an +11.2 net rating so far, indicating that he pairs well with Atlanta's best players.

CJ McCollum was flat-out incredible against the Pacers in their last matchup and there aren't a lot of reasons why he can't have similar success today. He was one of the few Hawks who was actually able to score against a tough Rockets defense, pouring in 23 points on 9-19 from the field. His offensive upside will always be capped by his struggles on defense, but the Indiana matchup is one where the offense is largely too ineffective to take advantage of his shortcomings on that end.

Three Reasons the Hawks Might Lose This Game

Oct 31, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers center Jay Huff (32) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Pascal Siakam is certainly overtaxed as a primary scoring option, but he's still the primary scoring option for this Pacers team and he did a reasonably good job of threatening a leaky Hawks defense in their last matchup. He scored 26 points (albeit on 21 shots) to go with nine rebounds and four assists all while not turning it over once. Interestingly, Siakam's work on defense goes somewhat underrated as he had three blocks against the Hawks. He's going to be a tough player to slow down if they don't have Jalen Johnson for this one.

Indiana's defense doesn't do a lot of things well, but they have been really good at clamping up shooters this year. Being 2nd in 3P% is also more impressive when considering that opponents take the third-most threes against them. They don't deter a lot of shots, but the length they have with players like Siakam, Jarace Walker and Aaron Nesmith helps them clamp up on shooters. Considering that the Hawks aren't coming off a great shooting night against Houston, there's a chance their struggles could bleed over into this game.

One of the worrying factors in the last matchup was how Indiana actually kept up with Atlanta inside the paint from an offensive perspective. They almost matched their points in the paint and couldn't buy a shot from deep, shooting 29% as a team. The Hawks won this game because they went on a 17-0 run in the third quarter and there's a chance they may not have enough firepower to claw back into this game if they go down big again.

Injury Report

Atlanta Hawks: Zaccharie Risacher and Jalen Johnson are questionable while Kristaps Porzingis and N'Faly Dante are all out.

Indiana Pacers: Obi Toppin and Tyrese Haliburton are out.

How to Watch

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

Tip-off time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN

Where to Watch: FanDuel Sports Network

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G - Nickeil Alexander-Walker

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Corey Kispert

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Kristaps Porzingis

Pacers:

G - Andrew Nembhard

G - Johnny Furphy

F - Aaron Nesmith

F - Jarace Walker

C - Jay Huff