Pacers Host Hawks In Season Finale
The Indiana Pacers will host the Atlanta Hawks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday afternoon.

The Pacers (46-35) should be highly motivated for this contest, as they have yet to decide their seeding come playoff time. Indiana is looking to avoid the Play-In Tournament and enter Sunday’s action in sixth place in the standings. Depending on what happens in other games, a loss would see them fall to seventh or eighth place, whereas a win could move them up to fifth place. Ergo, the Pacers could face different scenarios that range from playing a one-off elimination game on the road to securing a berth in the first round of the postseason. Fortunately for the Pacers, they’ll play this game at home, where they own a solid 25-15 mark. Indiana has also gone 6-4 over its last 10 games, but the team is looking to bounce back from its latest result, a 129-120 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.

Obi Toppin (ankle), Jalen Smith (ankle) and Isaiah Jackson (hamstring) are game-time calls for Sunday. Bennedict Mathurin (shoulder) is out for the rest of the season.

The Hawks (36-45) have nothing to play for in this season finale. They’re already locked into the 10th seed and will visit the Chicago Bulls in the Play-In Tournament next week. As such, don’t be surprised if Atlanta ends up resting some key players in this contest, with the team already thinking about what will happen against Chicago. The Hawks have been struggling in recent weeks, however, and their 109-106 road loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday extended their losing skid to five games while also putting their 10-game record at 4-6. To make things even more complicated for the Hawks, their road record of 15-25 is not encouraging at all.

Clint Capela (rest) is questionable for Sunday. Wesley Matthews (hamstring), Seth Lundy (ankle), Jalen Johnson (ankle), Onyeka Okongwu (toe) and Saddiq Bey (knee) are out. Bey will miss the rest of the season with a knee problem.
Posted on: 4/13/2024 9:18 PM