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Preview: Hawks set for afternoon battle vs. Pacers

NBA: Indiana Pacers at Atlanta Hawks Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Hawks (30-26) will take on the Indiana Pacers (26-29) Sunday afternoon looking to get back into the win column after a nationally-televised Thursday night loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Hawks.

There is a bit of familiarity here coaching wise, as Nate McMillan, Atlanta’s interim coach, was head coach of the Pacers from 2016-2020 before being let go after the 2019-20 season. McMillan was then obviously brought on to Lloyd Pierce’s staff for the 2020-21 season, and took over as the interim head coach following Pierce’s firing in March.

The Pacers and Hawks played one time earlier this season, when Pierce was still the head coach. That game was also in Atlanta, and Indiana came away with the 125-113 win.

Atlanta ranks tenth in the NBA with a +1.7 net rating, and sits as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference as of early Saturday evening. Indiana has a -0.3 net rating and sits No. 9 seed in the East, one game behind the Charlotte Hornets for the eighth spot. The Pacers are 5-5 in their last ten games, while the Hawks are 7-3 over their past ten contests.

Injuries

For Atlanta, John Collins (left ankle sprain) is questionable. Danilo Gallinari (right foot soreness) is out. De’Andre Hunter, Tony Snell, Cam Reddish and Kris Dunn remain out.

Indiana has Myles Turner (ankle) and Doug McDermott (ankle) listed as questionable, and T.J. Warren (out for season) is out.

The Line

The Hawks open as 4.5-point favorites over the Pacers as of Saturday evening. The status of Collins could impact the line, but he is likely to be on some sort of minute restriction if he does return from his extended absence. The status of Turner for Indiana could also have a significant impact on which way the line moves heading towards the early afternoon tip.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Sunday, Apr. 18, 1:00 pm ET

Location: State Farm Arena

TV: Bally Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass (out of market)

Radio: 92.9 The Game (Atlanta); Hawks Radio Network

Streaming: Fox Sports Go