The last time the Pacers faced the Hawks it was a barn burner. The teams combined to score 309 points in a 157-152 Pacers IST win. As a reference for just how little defense was played, it was only the 12th 300-point game in regulation in NBA history.

It will be interesting to see if tonight's game is played the same way. Certainly both teams will want another track meet and as long as Tyrese Haliburton and Trae Young are playing, you can expect buckets. They currently rank as first and second is assists per game, respectively.

However, as we've discussed, the Pacers are starting a bigger lineup and playing league average defense over the past two weeks. Conversely, Atlanta's offense has been sputtering over the same time frame.

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Could this be an opportunity for the Pacers to put together a complete game and flex on both ends of the court? If I were a gambling man, I'd still probably take the over. Even though Atlanta hasn't been as offensively potent of late, they dropped 141 points on the stout OKC Thunder in their last game. My guess it the Pacers end up ditching the double big lineup at some point and embrace the shootout.

Having said that, Atlanta is one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the league. Therefore, if the Pacers' offense is clicking, staying big may be worthwhile defensively to help keep the Hawks off the glass.

Keep an eye out for the burgeoning connection between Trae Young and Jalen Johnson. Johnson is emerging as the Hawks best forward and a steal from the 2021 draft. He's averaging career highs of about 15 points and 8 rebounds per contest, to go along with almost 60% shooting from the field and 42% on 3-pointers – though since returning from an injury the day after Christmas, those per-game averages have been significantly higher.

Injuries

How to Watch

Tipoff is at 7:00 PM ET.

TV: Bally Sports Indiana, NBA League Pass

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan

See ya in the comments!

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