Pacers vs. Hawks Preview
ATLANTA, GA (AP) – The Atlanta Hawks have not fared well against teams currently with winning records. They’ll get a chance to improve that mark against an Indiana Pacers team that’s hovered near .500 all season.
On Saturday night, the Hawks try to win their fifth straight at Philips Arena and eighth in a row overall against the Pacers, who haven’t left Atlanta with a victory in their last six trips.
Atlanta (15-9), which is among the best in the Eastern Conference with an 8-4 road record, fell to 2-6 versus teams currently with a winning record following Friday’s 108-92 loss at NBA-best San Antonio.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made the Hawks -3.5 point spread favorites for Saturday’s game against the Pacers. Current NBA Public Betting Information shows that 50% of more than 175 bets for this game have been placed on the Hawks -3.5.
Trends show Atlanta is 2-10 ATS in home games this season.
“The one thing we could not do was turn the basketball over, and in the fourth quarter we totally lost our composure,” coach Larry Drew said after his team was outscored 37-23 in the final 12 minutes.
Atlanta, though, will look to bounce back at home, where it is averaging 109.3 points and shooting 50.3 percent while posting a season-best four straight victories. The Hawks’ last five-game winning streak at home was a 12-game run to end 2009-10.
During the last matchup in Atlanta, Josh Smith had 21 points and 13 rebounds and Al Horford added 18 and 12 as the Hawks posted a 94-84 victory on March 28, snapping the Pacers’ season-high tying five-game winning streak.
Atlanta extended its run in this series to seven on Nov. 16, posting a 102-92 victory in Indiana.
Despite leading scorer Joe Johnson missing eight of 12 shots and scoring just 11 points, five other Hawks scored in double figures as the club hit 50 percent from the field.
“I think that the deeper you are, the better team you are,” Horford said after scoring 15 points in the victory.
That depth has helped Atlanta, which is 4-2 since Johnson suffered an elbow injury that could keep him out until mid-January.
The Pacers (11-10) will be looking to build off Friday’s 100-92 victory over Charlotte, and move two games above .500 for just the second time this season.
Indiana has not won or lost more than two in a row all season.
While coach Jim O’Brien’s team has committed 15.7 turnovers per game this season and has been outrebounded by an average of 12.5 over the last two contests, the Pacers are holding teams to 42.7 percent from the field.
Indiana limited the Bobcats to 41.3 percent shooting, and improved to 8-3 when holding teams to fewer than 100 points. The Pacers are also among the league leaders with 6.0 blocks per game.
“It just goes to show that you can struggle in a lot of other areas, but if you’re defending well and holding the other team to a low field-goal percentage, you have a chance to win night in and night out,” Mike Dunleavy said.
With Smith questionable after leaving in the fourth quarter Friday with a possible hamstring injury, the play of third-year center Roy Hibbert could be key as Indiana tries to snap a three-game road losing streak.
Hibbert, who had 13 points, 14 rebounds and a season-high tying six assists Friday, scored 18 with a career-high 15 boards in last month’s loss to Atlanta.
Pacers leading scorer Danny Granger is averaging 28.0 points in the last three games at Philips Arena.
Indiana’s last victory in Atlanta was 100-90 on Dec. 22, 2006.
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