1st Quarter Report
Only three more quarters stand between the Pacers and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Hawks 38-24.
The Pacers entered the matchup having won five straight and they’re just three quarters away from another. Will they make it six, or will the Hawks step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
Atlanta Hawks @ Indiana Pacers
Current Records: Atlanta 14-19, Indiana 19-14
How To Watch
- When: Friday, January 5, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse — Indianapolis, Indiana
- TV: Bally Sports Midwest – Indiana
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $20.40
What to Know
Two dominant guards in Tyrese Haliburton and Trae Young are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Indiana Pacers will be playing at home against the Atlanta Hawks at 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the pair posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
The Pacers came tearing into Wednesday’s match with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against Milwaukee by a score of 142-130. The oddsmakers set the bar high with a 258-point over/under, but they still managed to beat it.
Haliburton continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double on 31 points and 12 assists. He is on a roll when it comes to assists, as he’s now posted ten or more in the last ten games he’s played.
Meanwhile, the oddsmakers set the bar high, but the Hawks and the Thunder didn’t disappoint and broke past the 248.5 point over/under on Wednesday. Atlanta came out on top in a nail-biter against Oklahoma City and snuck past 141-138. Kudos to the oddsmakers for accurately forecasting both the winner and the close margin.
The Hawks’ success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jalen Johnson led the charge by scoring 28 points along with seven rebounds and four steals. Johnson continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last five games he’s played. The team also got some help courtesy of Young, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 11 assists.
Indiana has been performing well recently as they’ve won six of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 19-14 record this season. As for Atlanta, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 14-19.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as both teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. The Pacers haven’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 126.9 points per game (they’re ranked first in scoring overall). However, it’s not like the Hawks (currently ranked third in scoring) struggle in that department as they’ve been averaging 122.8 points per game. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
The Pacers didn’t have too much breathing room in their match against the Hawks when the teams last played back in November of 2023, but they still walked away with a 157-152 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Young, who scored 38 points along with eight assists and three steals. Now that he’s got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Pacers still be able to contain him? There’s only one way to find out.
Odds
Indiana is a 3.5-point favorite against Atlanta, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Pacers as a 4.5-point favorite.
The oddsmakers are expecting fireworks from the offense and set the over/under at a high 262.5 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Atlanta has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Indiana.
- Nov 21, 2023 – Indiana 157 vs. Atlanta 152
- Mar 25, 2023 – Atlanta 143 vs. Indiana 130
- Jan 13, 2023 – Atlanta 113 vs. Indiana 111
- Dec 27, 2022 – Indiana 129 vs. Atlanta 114
- Mar 28, 2022 – Atlanta 132 vs. Indiana 123
- Mar 13, 2022 – Atlanta 131 vs. Indiana 128
- Feb 08, 2022 – Atlanta 133 vs. Indiana 112
- Dec 01, 2021 – Atlanta 114 vs. Indiana 111
- May 06, 2021 – Indiana 133 vs. Atlanta 126
- Apr 18, 2021 – Atlanta 129 vs. Indiana 117
