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October 11, 2026 at 4:26 AM UTC

Postgame Report

Hawks Hold Off Pacers 119-117 in Preseason Meeting at Gainbridge

Atlanta won a two-point preseason game in Indianapolis behind Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu, with Tyrese Haliburton out for the Pacers.

Hawks Vs Pacers: Preview, How to Watch and Projected Starters For Tonight's Preseason Game — Sports Illustrated
Hawks Vs Pacers: Preview, How to Watch and Projected Starters For Tonight's Preseason Game — Sports Illustrated

Nothing about Saturday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse carried regular-season weight, and both benches treated it that way. The Atlanta Hawks beat the Indiana Pacers 119-117 in a preseason game that was more about looks and legs than the result. Jalen Johnson led Atlanta with 20 points and seven rebounds in a team-high 25 minutes, and Onyeka Okongwu added 18.

For Indiana, the exercise is about finding a rhythm again after a 2025 that went badly wrong. The roster is older and different, and a team that used to be recognized on sight has to earn that back. The most pressing question went unanswered on the floor. Tyrese Haliburton sat out with a right ankle tweak, a small issue on its own, but it matters when the player is coming back from a torn Achilles and the franchise is trying to stay healthy.

Without him, the Pacers still stayed within reach of the final possession. Pascal Siakam had 13 points and four assists in 22 minutes, and Aaron Nembhard-style steadiness came from Andrew Nembhard, who had 10 points and three assists. Jalen Slawson scored 12 in 13 minutes off the bench, and Obi Toppin added 11. Aaron Wiggins gave Atlanta 13 off its bench, and CJ McCollum had 12. In the end the margin was two points.

The Hawks arrived with some recent evidence of their own. Earlier in the preseason they climbed out of a 23-point hole against San Antonio, hitting 10 threes in the second quarter alone on the way to a 123-116 win, after dropping their preseason opener to Memphis. The matchup had been billed as a meeting of two teams that like to play fast, since Atlanta ranked among the league's best in transition last season and Indiana plays at a frenzied tempo. This one stayed close to the end.

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