Friday night was one that Atlanta Hawks fans would prefer to move on from, especially those who watched live against the Indiana Pacers. Without Tyrese Haliburton, the visiting Pacers overcame the Hawks, 126-108. Hawks guard Trae Young had a quiet night, prompting questions on whether health issues had something to do with his performance.
Atlanta head coach Quin Snyder then revealed how Young has been “dealing with bumps”, as per Hawks writer Kevin Chouinard. Snyder also revealed that the guard arrived at State Farm Arena three to four hours early just to get extra treatment from team staff.
Trae Young and Hawks fall to the Pacers' balanced scoring
However, Trae Young still had to endure a lopsided loss to the Pacers which saw him finish the game with 13 points on 4-of-17 shooting (23.5%) and six assists.
Additionally, the Hawks had trouble stopping a Pacers team that received contributions from plenty of names. All in all, eight Indiana players finished the game with double figures. The Pacers were led by Obi Toppin and Buddy Hield, who both had 18 points apiece.
Atlanta on the other hand, was paced by Dejounte Murray, who had 29 points on on an efficient 72.2% field goal percentage. Murray also added four rebounds and four assists in the loss. Saddiq Bey and Jalen Johnson both followed with 17 and 16 points respectively for the Hawks.
Murray's name has continuously been brought up in trade rumors heading into February's deadline. With the Hawks continuing their struggles, a reshuffling of players might be on the way in the next coming weeks. Regardless, there are still games before the deadline so the Hawks can try to make one last run and show their front office that the current roster is worth keeping.