Three Storylines I am Watching Closely in Tonight's Hawks-Pacers Showdown

Can the Hawks bounce back from their worst game of the season and defeat Indiana?

Oct 28, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) looks to pass against Miami Heat guards Davion Mitchell (2) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Atlanta Hawks are back in action tonight, and they are continuing their three-game road trip with a visit to Indiana to face the Pacers.

Both teams are off to worse starts than they would have hoped for this season. Atlanta is 3-4 and coming off a 21-point loss to New Orleans, while the Pacers are 2-5 and coming off a loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night. Both teams are hoping to be contenders in the Eastern Conference this season, and while there is certainly a way to go, it has not been pretty for either team to start.

When looking at this game, what are the major storylines to follow?

1. Will Jalen Johnson play?

For the first time this season, Jalen Johnson might miss a game for the Atlanta Hawks.

While Johnson is not exactly having the start to the year that he wanted, he is still the Hawks most talented player and given the injuries already to Mouhamed Gueye and Jock Landale (more on them later), the frontcourt depth is a bit thin if he is not able to lace them up tonight and be on the court.

If he is able to go, that will certainly tilt things in Atlanta's favor tonight given the injuries and absences that the Pacers are having to deal with, but a victory is far from guaranteed given how the Hawks have been playing latel.

2. Who steps up in the absences of Jock Landale and Kingston Flemings?

Jock Landale was injured early on in the loss to the Pelicans and is not going to be able to play in tonight's game. Kingston Flemings was suspended one game by the NBA for elbowing Pelicans guard Bryce McGowens and is not going to be able to play tonight for the Hawks.

When Landale went down early in the game against the Pelicans, Asa Newell was the other big that came in and he played solidly in his 18 minutes, scoring 13 points and four rebounds.

Will Newell get those minutes tonight? Will rookie Zuby Ejiofor get minutes tonight as the other center? If Johnson is out, do both players get put in a major role? That is something to track closely.

3. Can the Hawks get off to a quicker start?

Over the past three games, the Hawks have gotten off to slow starts and it has come back to haunt them, as they lost to the Pelicans and and Heat after falling behind by big deficits in both game.

Atlanta's offense has been slow starting this season and they have not been shooting well for the majority of the year. Can they reverse that trend tonight on the road?