The Atlanta Hawks aim to return to the .500 mark on Saturday evening. The Hawks host the Indiana Pacers at State Farm Arena, with Atlanta entering at 36-37 overall and 20-15 at home. Indiana is playing on the second night of a back-to-back with travel after falling to the Boston Celtics on Friday. That leaves Indiana with an uncertain injury report, while Atlanta lists Trae Young (calf) and De’Andre Hunter (knee) as questionable. Jalen Johnson (hamstring/groin) remains out for the Hawks.
Tipoff is at 5 p.m. ET in Atlanta. Caesars Sportsbook lists Atlanta as the 9-point home favorite, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 240.5 in the latest Pacers vs. Hawks odds. Before making any Hawks vs. Pacers picks, be sure to check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model enters Week 23 of the 2022-23 NBA season on a stunning 69-36 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,900. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Pacers vs. Hawks and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are the NBA lines and trends for Hawks vs. Pacers:
- Pacers vs. Hawks spread: Hawks -9
- Pacers vs. Hawks over/under: 240.5 points
- Pacers vs. Hawks money line: Hawks -400, Pacers +310
- IND: The Pacers are 7-6 against the spread with no rest
- ATL: The Hawks are 16-19 against the spread in home games
- Pacers vs. Hawks picks: See picks at SportsLine
Featured Game | Atlanta Hawks vs. Indiana Pacers
Why the Pacers can cover
The Pacers have a friendly offensive matchup in this contest. Atlanta is in the bottom five of the NBA in defensive rating since the All-Star break, giving up 118.7 points per 100 possessions in 14 games. The Hawks are also No. 24 in the league in allowing 48.3% shooting to opponents, and Indiana leads the league with more than 18 fast break points per game. The Pacers are in the top five of the NBA in assist percentage, producing an assist on 64% of field goals and Indiana also generates nearly 27 assists per game. Indiana buries almost 14 3-pointers per contest, and the Pacers secure more than 28% of available rebounds on the offensive glass.
On defense, the Pacers lean on havoc, with more than 15 takeaways per game and a top-10 mark in steals per game. Indiana is also in the top three of the NBA in blocked shots, and Atlanta is in the bottom tier of the league with only 22.1 free throw attempts per contest on offense.
Why the Hawks can cover
Atlanta’s offense is exceptionally difficult to stop, and this is also a favorable matchup for the Hawks. Quin Snyder’s team is scoring 1.15 points per possession this season, ranking in the top 10 of the NBA in offensive efficiency. That rises to more than 1.2 points per possession since the All-Star break, ranking in the top three of the league in the last 14 games. Ball security is a proven strength for Atlanta, with the Hawks committing a turnover on only 12.5% of offensive possessions. That leads to 1.92 assists for every turnover, a top-six rate in the NBA, and the Hawks also have shooting strengths.
Atlanta is making 48.2% of shot attempts and 81.6% of free throw attempts this season, landing in the top third of the league in both categories, and the Hawks produce 53.5 points per in the paint per game. Atlanta is also above-average on the offensive glass, grabbing 28.4% of missed shots, and Indiana is the worst defensive rebounding team in the NBA in yielding more than 15 second-chance points per game and securing fewer than 69% of available rebounds.
How to make Hawks vs. Pacers picks
SportsLine’s model has simulated Celtics vs. Pacers, and it is leaning Under on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 238 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who Pacers vs. Hawks? And which side hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.