Indiana Pacers at Atlanta Hawks Game Day Preview

Preview

Last night, I finally watched Jeen-Yuhs, a three-part Netflix documentary about Kanye West's grind and eventual rise to stardom. One of the film's overarching themes was how success could change a man for the better and for the worse.

In some ways, it reminded me of this year's Hawks team. After exploding onto the national scene last summer with a deep playoff run, they lost something. Their roster and coaching staff were essentially the same. But Trae Young said the regular season was boring. Clint Capela admitted to knowing the defense would regress. Throughout the season, everyone from the front office to the coaching staff has wondered aloud about the team's mindset.

As I wrote yesterday, you can always count on these guys doing the right thing off the court. That's never in question. But at this point, no one can deny this young team let stardom supersede the grind this season.

With 16 games remaining in the regular season, the Hawks are tied with the Charlotte Hornets for the 9th in the Eastern Conference. Avoiding the dreaded Play-In tournament might be impossible, but obtaining a home-court advantage in the Play-In is certainly doable.

Another theme of the Jeen-Yuhs documentary was redemption. Can the Hawks find their old selves and rekindle the magic of last season? Six of the Hawks' next seven games are against teams with losing records. A win tonight against the Indiana Pacers keeps them on track.

The Pacers picked up a win in San Antonio last night and flew into Atlanta early this morning. This team has played and lost to the Hawks twice this season, with two more matchups to go. While it's true the Pacers are 6-5 on no rest; they are also 6-18 as road underdogs.

Amid a rebuild centered around newly acquired Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield, the Pacers are looking to improve on all components of their game. Most notably, their defense, which ranks 26th in the NBA. Just one spot ahead of the Hawks.

Injury Report

Since the Pacers just played last night, we are still awaiting an official injury report. But here's what we know: Myles Turner (foot), Malcolm Brogdon (concussion), T.J. McConnell (wrist), Lance Stephenson (ankle), and Ricky Rubio (knee) are all out.

The Hawks have enjoyed good health as of late. Only John Collins (finger, foot) is listed as questionable.

I really have a great deal of respect for what John is doing for us and what he's trying to play through." (2/2)

Question asked by @sarah_k_spence
— Pat Benson (@Pat_Benson_Jr) March 12, 2022

Odds

SI Sportsbook lists the Hawks as 12.5-point favorites, and the over/under is set at 237.5 points. That is a huge spread. But you get the point. The Hawks should win this game with ease. Otherwise, it's back to the drawing board yet again.

As always, we will be live-tweeting the game and back here later for your post-game recap. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.

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