The Indiana Pacers play host to the Atlanta Hawks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Saturday.

The Hawks (3-12) come into this matchup losing 10 of their last 11 games, as they've had some nightmare losses in that stretch. In fact, seven of those 10 losses have come by double-digit margins, as the 138-93 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday shows exactly where this team is at right now. There is one bit of good news though, as John Collins (ankle) is expected to make his season debut here. Collins was a breakout rookie last season and many experts have him pegged as an all-star candidate in years to come. Adding a young big man like that can't be understated, as his presence alone will be a huge boost for this club. What Atlanta really needs to work on is its defense though, with the Hawks allowing a league-worst 119 points per game. That's pretty standard from a young team like this, as the valleys will definitely outweigh the peaks as the season progresses.

The Pacers (9-6) have had a mini-slump over their last five games, as they have just two wins in that stretch. That's really nothing to be concerned with though, as the losses came against the Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers. The two wins came against the Miami Heat though, as that's a club who's struggling badly themselves. What was encouraging about that most recent win over Miami was the play of Tyreke Evans and Myles Turner. Evans was especially good, as he provided season-highs with 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead the bench. He has really struggled with Indiana this season but lines like this should become more common the more he gets used to this system. Adding that sort of bench presence to this already dangerous team is all fans could ask for and it makes the Pacers a team to fear in the east going forward.

Indiana won their four-game season series over Atlanta last season, 3-1. In fact, the Pacers have beat the Hawks in five of their last six meetings in total.