INDIANAPOLIS -- As I reported yesterday, the Hawks are without center Zaza Pachulia (sore right Achilles) and guard Devin Harris (sore left foot) for tonight’s game at the Pacers. Neither player made the trip.

This will be the third straight game, and fourth in six games, that Pachulia will be out.

According to coach Larry Drew, look for Johan Petro see some of Pachulia’s minutes in relief of Al Horford. The Hawks will need the 7-foot Petro to help on the Pacers’ 7-2 Roy Hibbert.

“At some point I’m almost certain we are going to have to go to that matchup, just a bigger guy on Hibbert,” Drew said. “Right now, Petro, size-wise, is the only guy that is left. We certainly could be looking at a matchup with him guarding Hibbert a little bit.”

Harris will miss his second straight game since aggravating a sore left foot that cost him 11 games earlier this season.

* The Hawks will start a lineup of Jeff Teague, Kyle Kover, DeShawn Stevenson, Josh Smith and Horford against the Pacers, who have an 18-3 home record including 14 straight wins.

* The Pacers present several issues for the Hawks with their ability to play pick-and-roll, shoot from the outside and use their height advantage.

Drew gave me a tutorial on the Hawks’ help defense plans, keyed to a nail in the floor board at the free-throw line.

Drew said sometimes the Hawks over-help on defense and leave outside shooters open. While he considers that a good problem, as opposed to not helping at all, it could be an issue against a team like the Pacers.

“There is a nail right in the middle of the free-throw line,” Drew said. “We talk about when teams are running the pick-and-roll making sure there is a guy there. So if he comes off the pick-and-roll that he is running into a guy there. We spend a lot of time talking about making sure there is nail help. We go through film and we can see if defensively we are in our right spots. Sometimes you can be aggressive at the nail because your guy on the weak side may not be a shooter. But if a guy is a shooter, you can be there but you better start leaning back toward your guy is.”

* With all the weapons that the Pacers possess, Drew said the Hawks’ concentration is identifying the “fires” and doing their best to contain them.

“They have outside shooters and they can go inside,” Drew said. “Everything they do we have to recognize what we call the fire. We have to know where the fire is. We may not be able to put it out but we have to contain it. If something else springs us, we have to be able to contain that. This team can hurt you in a lot of different areas. You are not going to just shut them down. They are good on the pick-and-roll. They have guys who can make shots. They have guys who can post. They are a good defensive team. There are a lot of fires there. We have our hands full but we are going to accept the challenge.”