NBA: Atlanta Hawks vs. Indiana Pacers Preview, Odds, Prediction

Two teams that chase the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Atlanta Hawks and the Indiana Pacers, meet this Tuesday night. The game occurs at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, just 24 hours after the Pacers’ previous contest. Rick Carlisle’s crew is coming home from a three-game road trip, and is eager to win in front of its fans. As for the Hawks, they looked solid over the past few games, still holding above the .500.

Preview

Atlanta Hawks (17-16, -105) won three of the past four events. Two of those were at home, against the Magic and the Pistons, while in between lost to the Chicago Bulls, also in Georgia. This team is known for its offensive versatility but, on the other side, isn’t particularly gifted in defense.

The last win for this crew was against the Pistons on December 23, 130-105. In that matchup, the Hawks shot 53.3% from the field, and had only eight turnovers, yet that was due to the Pistons’ inadequate defense. Also, the Hawks had 66 points from the paint, 26 more than the rivals.

Dejuonte Murray scored 26 points in this event, while Trae Young added the same number with 13 assists. Meanwhile, Bogdan Bogdanovic had 19 off the bench, and that was with a poor three-point shooting performance, 3-for-11.

Indiana Pacers (17-17, -115) is the nicest surprise of the year. Almost all of the analysts predicted that this team wouldn’t have 25 wins this season, yet they have 17 already and are on the verge of the playoffs. Furthermore, the ceiling for the Pacers is unknown right now.

They posted back-to-back wins on the road (in Boston and Miami) before falling short last night in New Orleans to the Pelicans, 113-93. The Pelicans were shorthanded without Zion and Ingram, however, the Pacers couldn’t utilize that. Indiana shot only 42.2% from the field, having a terrible 9-for-35 form deep, or only 25.7%.

The Pacers were swept away under the rim, having 36 boards, 18 fewer than their rivals. Haliburton and Hield scored 12 points each, with the point guard dishing only six assists. Myles turner had 14 buckets and eight boards, while Bennedict Mathurin closed the night with 15 points off the bench. In general, all of the leading players weren’t in the mood for playing.

Head to Head Games

Since these teams sit in the same division, they meet at least three times per year. This would be their first clash in the 2022/23 campaign. Regarding the previous season, the Hawks have swept the Pacers in the series, 4-0, scoring more than 125 points on three occasions.

Prediction

This is one of the most exciting matchups of the night, as both teams have different ways of hurting the rivals on the offensive side of the ball. Meanwhile, the defense isn’t their primary area of interest, even though the Pacers know to show up when needed from time to time. Our pick in this event would be to bet on over points. The line is currently set at 230.5 buckets, and given the recent games of both units, this limit should be eclipsed. Atlanta looks solid offensively, while Indiana, too, scores a lot of points, particularly at home.

Pick: Over 230.5 points -110