Atlanta Hawks at Indiana Pacers preview: Hawks looking to upset struggling Pacers
Feb 18, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers center
Roy Hibbert(55) takes a shot against Atlanta Hawks forward
Paul Millsap(4) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats Atlanta 108-98. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
The Atlanta Hawks have just seven games to play this season, and are barely holding on to their grasp of the NBA Playoffs. If they want to keep playing after the regular season (of course they do) a win today against the sliding Indiana Pacers would do a lot for their record on paper, and their confidence going forward.
The Pacers have lost six of their last eight games (losing their No. 1 seed in the process) and this seems to be as good an opportunity as any for the Hawks to pick up a win in Indiana.
During their last game–a loss to the Toronto Raptors–Lance Stephenson and George Hill both failed to score in the double-digits, while Roy Hibbert managed just two rebounds in 32 minutes. Paul George and David West were the guys trying to do the work for the Pacers and combined for 47 points and 13 rebounds.
If Indiana plays another game like that against the Hawks (who just demolished the surging Cleveland Cavaliers) it could even be an easy win–but, I wouldn’t expect the Pacers to just fold over. They’re probably pretty pissed off about how they’ve been playing, and losing the No. 1 seed that they’ve held all year to the Miami Heat is going to do anything to improve their collective mood.
Both teams have a lot to play for tonight, so look for this to be an extremely competetive game. Vegas has the Hawks as 8-point underdogs in this one.
Be sure to follow us on twitter (@ATLBeatBlog) for in-game analysis and check back later for a full game recap.
Date: April 6, 2014
Tip-Off Time: 6:00 p.m.
TV Channel: SportSouth (Local in Atlanta), NBA League Pass
Radio: 92.9 FM (Atlanta Flagship), Atlanta Hawks Radio Network Affiliates
Live Stream: League Pass Broadband