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The Pacers return to preseason action on Tuesday night when they face an old nemesis with a new look in the Atlanta Hawks. Gone is the wildly fluctuating game of Josh Smith and in his place at power forward, former Jazz big man, Paul Millsap. On paper, Millsap seems like a nice fit next to Al Horford in the front court as two solid big men who may not be flashy but know how to play both ends of the floor at a high level.
Personally, I'm going to miss Josh Smith trying to launch his way out of a perimeter shooting slump. In other changes this season for the Hawks, they no longer employ Zaza Pachulia, Devin Harris and Ivan Johnson. Among the new faces you will see DeMarre Carroll, Elton Brand and Gustavo Ayon.
The Pacers will miss Millsap on Tuesday as he rests a sore Achilles which will put Brand into the starting lineup. Former Pike point guard Jeff Teague remains in a starting role for the Hawks, joined in the backcourt by Kyle Korver who hasn't missed an open shot against the Pacers since he was at Creighton, or at least it seems that way.
As for the Pacers, they will be in it to win it tonight at Philips Arena, although Danny Granger will remained sidelined to rest his strained calf. That keeps Lance Stephenson in the starting lineup so we'll see how Frank Vogel shuffles the playing rotation to get Stephenson some lead dog minutes with the second unit.
No local TV for this one so enjoy the HD visuals provided by Mark Boyle on the radio call.
For more on the Hawks, check out Peachtree Hoops. Also, leave your thoughts and observations on the game in the comments.