Atlanta, GA
3 takeaways from Indiana Pacers preseason opening loss to Atlanta Hawks
The Indiana Pacers dropped their preseason opener to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night. It came down to the wire with Seth Lundy hitting a three to give Atlanta the win in the final seconds. Neither team played their typical rotation players for the last 18 or so minutes of action as they marched through the preseason.
“There were a lot of positives really with all the guys that played,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said after the game. “Starters did some good things.”
Said starting five only played in the first half of the battle. The second half for the blue and gold was filled with bench players and deeper reserves as the team did some evaluation. That’s what the preseason exhibitions are all about.
The final score was 131-130. While it is just preseason, there are still a few important takeaways for the Pacers.
Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam took advantage of on-ball reps
Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam were the guiding forces behind Indiana’s offense with the starting five, and they handled the ball often. They both had a usage rate just over 24%, per the NBA’s advanced box score, while the Pacers typical lead ball handler in Tyrese Haliburton had a usage rate of 21.6%.
Nembhard was initiating offense on multiple occasions by getting Indiana into their sets quickly or by attacking the paint. The Hawks could not stop him from getting wherever he wanted to go, and he made them pay with a few mid-range buckets that are becoming his signature shot. He finished with 10 points and three assists.
Siakam, meanwhile, had more chances to push in transition than he did on an average night last year, and he looked effective when doing so. He, too, had more of a ball handling and passing burden than usual and had a successful night, scoring a team-high 15 points.
Haliburton was off the ball slightly more than he was on most nights last season. He was still heavily involved, but if Nembhard and Siakam can make plays and have the team’s offense humming, that bodes well for Indiana’s offense in the coming season.
Indiana’s defense still needs work
The Pacers hope they’ll improve on defense this season. They finished last season 18th in defensive rating after the All-Star break and believe they have a chance to keep up that form. A full training camp with Siakam could help.
Yet their general struggles from last season on the defensive end were still present in this game. Atlanta ball handlers danced into the paint. The Hawks made almost 53% of their shots and generated open threes.
“Had some defensive lapses, we’ve got to clean that up,” Carlisle said.
Trae Young and Jalen Johnson — two good players, to be clear — were effective and got to their spots. Nebhard defended young well, but most other matchups were easy to punish for the Hawks.
Zaccharie Risacher had a great outing for the hosts as well.
The Pacers didn’t have two important defensive pieces available in Myles Turner and Isaiah Jackson, but their defense struggled to open the preseason.
Some ups and some downs from the newer players
The Pacers don’t have many new players, but the ones that offered up a first impression on Tuesday showed off some good and some bad moments.
James Wiseman, for example, was effective on offense and didn’t miss a shot. But his defense was subpar and needs work, particularly in pick-and-rolls. Cole Swider, a new wing for Indiana, showed off his ability to get off shots from deep and even displayed some ability putting the ball on the floor. But he forced the issue at times and didn’t have enough of an impact on defense.
Those two may end up being the only new Pacers players this season with NBA experience, and they had up-and-down nights. Kendall Brown, who is battling for a roster spot and is Swider’s main competitor to make the roster, didn’t impress. Quenton Jackson, who signed with Indiana in March, was effective. Those two are on the fringe of the roster but still had noteworthy performances.
Indiana next plays tomorrow night when they take on the Cavaliers in Cleveland. Then, they’ll head home for over a week until the regular season starts.
The public is getting its first look at the two pandas that will be heading from China to Zoo Atlanta.
NBC’s Janis Mackey Frayer was able to visit female Fu Shuang and male Ping Ping before they make the nearly 8,000-mile flight. The giant pandas are both 6 years old and are headed to the United States as part of a new decade-long conservation agreement between China and the U.S.
Ping Ping’s keepers say he tends to follow them around, which is atypical behavior for a panda, but may be because of the food they have for him. Fu Shuang — which translates to “double happiness” — is playful, but nervous, and enjoys placing her chin on her paw. She also likes apples and has a penchant for finding them.
“Because we will hide pieces of apples, for example under the tree … she can find them everywhere,” panda keeper Wang Shun told Mackey Frayer, noting her “clever” behavior.
The pandas are part of an international cooperative research agreement on giant panda conservation between Zoo Atlanta and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, a renewal of panda diplomacy between America and China that began in 1972.
“Zoo Atlanta is delighted and honored to yet again be trusted as stewards of this treasured species and to partner with the China Wildlife Conservation Association on the continued conservation and research efforts that are the most important outcomes of this cooperation,” Zoo Atlanta President and CEO Raymond B. King said in a statement in April.
“We can’t wait to meet Ping Ping and Fu Shuang and to welcome our Members, guests, city, and community back to the wonder and joy of giant pandas.”
Pandas are already at zoos in Washington, D.C., and San Diego. Zoo Atlanta maintained a panda agreement with China from 1999 until 2024, when Lun Lun and Yang Yang went back to their home country, along with their two youngest cubs.
Animal behaviorist James Ayala marvels at how pandas mature.
“You see cubs and they seem so cuddly and clumsy and cute. And then they grow up into these big, majestic bears,” he told Mackey Frayer.
Fu Shuang and Ping Ping will be transported further south into a mountainous region where they will be prepped to make the trip to the U.S. It is unknown when they will leave.
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Soccer fever took over The Battery Atlanta on Thursday as fans gathered outside Truist Park for a rare chance to see the FIFA World Cup trophy in person.
Children kicked soccer balls across the plaza while crowds counted down to the dramatic reveal of the iconic trophy, widely considered the most coveted prize in international sports.
The appearance marked the first public viewing of the FIFA World Cup trophy in Atlanta.
“It’s the real trophy,” said fan Abdulrahman Dwead. “Nobody is allowed to touch the actual trophy unless you won it or are the president of FIFA. So, me standing beside that cup, that’s an honor to me.”
The trophy stop carried extra significance because Atlanta is one of the host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Local fans said the event gave them a deeper sense of excitement ahead of the tournament.
“It’s the greatest feeling in the world,” said Melissa Richardson. “It’s something that doesn’t happen often and to be here in this moment is very important to me.”
The trophy was displayed outside the ballpark before moving inside Monument Garden during Thursday night’s Braves game, allowing ticket holders another opportunity to see the historic prize.
Organizers said the event gave thousands of fans a rare chance to experience a piece of soccer history in Atlanta.
“I’m so happy that Atlanta will host eight games,” Dwead said. “I’ve been here in Atlanta for almost 14 years and I love Atlanta so much.”
Copyright 2026 WANF. All rights reserved.
The Atlanta Dream are undefeated heading into their home opener and still finding ways to improve their roster.
The Dream announced Wednesday the signing of forward Amy Okonkwo to a developmental contract. It’s the latest roster move for an Atlanta team that is 2-0 and gearing up to play Sunday against the defending champion, Las Vegas Aces.
Okonkwo brings an impressive résumé despite her young career.
She most recently attended training camp with the Dallas Wings ahead of the 2026 season and appeared in eight games with Dallas during the 2025 WNBA season, averaging 11.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while shooting better than 60 percent from the field. She recorded a career-high 20 points against Phoenix on Sept. 11, 2025, and made history as the first undrafted player since 2000 to average 10 or more points while shooting 60 percent or better through her first two WNBA games.
Her international résumé is equally impressive. Okonkwo has earned back-to-back FIBA Women’s AfroBasket MVP honors in 2023 and 2025 while helping Nigeria’s national team capture consecutive gold medals. Collegiately, she played at USC before finishing her career at TCU, where she earned 2018 Big 12 Sixth Player of the Year honors.
Okonkwo joins a 12-player roster that includes Naz Hillmon, Te-Hina Paopao, Jordin Canada, Angel Reese, Aaliyah Nye, Rhyne Howard, Madina Okot, Allisha Gray, Isobel Borlase, Indya Nivar, Sika Kone and Brionna Jones.
The signing caps a busy stretch of roster moves for Atlanta.
Earlier this month, the Dream claimed guard Aaliyah Nye off waivers after she was selected by the expansion Toronto Tempo in the 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft and subsequently waived on May 7. Nye brings championship pedigree to Atlanta, having been a member of the 2025 WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces as a rookie, appearing in all 44 regular season games and finishing fourth among franchise rookies in made three-pointers with 37.
A guard out of the University of Alabama, Nye is one of the sharper shooters in the league. She finished her college career with 389 three-pointers across stops at Alabama and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, shooting 40.9 percent from beyond the arc. In her final season with the Crimson Tide, she earned Second Team All-SEC honors after averaging 15.2 points per game and setting the program’s single-season record with 111 made three-pointers.
To make room for Nye, the Dream waived guard Holly Winterburn, a move that came with an emotional cost. Winterburn, a Northampton, England native who went undrafted in 2025 before signing with Atlanta as a free agent, said she learned she had been cut just before boarding the bus for the team’s first game of the season on May 9.
“I thought my welcome to the W moment would happen on the court, not as I’m getting on the bus for my first ever game,” Winterburn wrote on Instagram. “But that’s the reality of this business and I will always be grateful for the opportunity Atlanta gave me. I’m built for this.”
Winterburn did not stay without a job for long. The Portland Fire signed her to a developmental contract shortly after her release.
After Tuesday’s road win in Dallas, the Dream return home Sunday to face the defending champion Las Vegas Aces at 1:30 p.m. at State Farm Arena.
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