Atlanta has a stop to make first. The Hawks play at San Antonio on Thursday, and how that night goes will decide a lot of what they bring to Indianapolis: whose minutes get pushed and who is held back. As of now, the only result the Hawks have is a 132-123 home loss to Memphis in their preseason opener. They had a strong second half after falling behind early, which is about as much as anyone should read into a game in early October.
That Memphis game was short-handed in the backcourt. CJ McCollum sat with a nose contusion, Luguentz Dort sat with a right knee contusion, and Aaron Wiggins left after 11 minutes with a cut inside his lip after scoring 7 points. All 3 are listed day-to-day, and the Spurs game is their first chance to show they're past it. If they all suit up Thursday, Atlanta probably gives Saturday's guard minutes back to the regulars. If they don't, the Hawks' young guards keep getting the long looks.
The longer-term problem for Atlanta is up front. Henri Veesaar tore his right ACL in September and is expected to miss the whole 2026-27 season, and Mouhamed Gueye is coming back from surgery on a fractured left foot. That leaves the Hawks thin at the big-man spots before the season has started, and exhibitions like this one are where they'll try out what they have. Indiana has its own season-long absence on the wing, with Johnny Furphy out after tearing his right ACL.
Watch Haliburton's workload, and watch whether Indiana's 3rd-quarter push against Minnesota was a one-off or how this group plays. On Atlanta's side, the question is whether the guard rotation is whole again. Neither question gets a final answer Saturday night, but both get a real look.