The Hawks have a path to the top six, even if it is a rocky one. Teams have begun to establish their positioning in the Eastern Conference standings, but the Hawks could still make up some ground.
As of now, the Hawks have three teams ahead of them in the seeding for the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. Two teams in the Eastern Conference still have a tenuous hold on their positions in the top six.
Since returning from the All-Star break, the Hawks have won six of their last seven games. They boast the NBA’s second-best defense since the break and have seemingly found some consistency with their new pieces.
Per Basketball Reference’s playoff odds tracker, the Hawks have a 37.3% chance of making the playoffs. They have a 20.9% chance of finishing the regular season eighth. So, here’s what things look like for the Hawks with 19 games left in the regular season.
Improbable to catch
1. Pistons (45-16), 14 games behind
The Pistons have led the Eastern Conference for much of the regular season and the Hawks have lost three of their four meetings. Plus, the Pistons have the fifth-easiest remaining strength of schedule with 21 games left.
2. Celtics (41-21), 9.5 games behind
The Hawks and Celtics have split their season series through the first two games. But the Celtics have been rolling without Jayson Tatum, who has been out with an Achilles injury for much of the season. The five-time All-Star was expected to return to the lineup Friday.
3. Knicks (40-23), 7.5 games behind
The Knicks have had their ups and downs under the guidance of first-year coach Mike Brown, but they’ve won six of their last 10 games, including a dominant showing against the Spurs. They’ve been relatively healthy this season and with the fourth easiest remaining schedule, they’re in a position to return to second in the standings.
4. Cavaliers (39-24), 6.5 games behind
The Cavaliers have had quite the turnaround this season after falling as low as ninth in the Eastern Conference standings in December. But the Cavs have gotten even better following the acquisition of James Harden at the trade deadline. The Cavaliers have won seven of their last 10 despite injuries to Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus and other key players. They have the second-easiest remaining schedule.
So you’re saying there’s a chance …
5. Raptors (35-27), 3.5 games behind
The Raptors swept the Hawks in the regular season and have been difficult matchups for their opponents. They have a relatively healthy roster and with just 20 games left on their regular-season schedule, they have the ninth-easiest schedule remaining.
6. 76ers (34-28), 2.5 games behind
The injury to rookie VJ Edgecombe came as a bit of a blow to the 76ers, especially with the absence of center Joel Embiid. The 76ers have the 17th-hardest remaining schedule, with 20 regular-season games to play.
Hanging in there
7. Magic (33-28), 2 games behind
The Hawks have two games remaining against the Magic this season. They already took the first two in the series as the Magic worked to incorporate Desmond Bane into their lineup. The Magic have been without Franz Wagner for much of the season and the team said he would remain out indefinitely. But the Magic have a similar remaining strength of schedule as the Hawks.
8. Heat (34-29), 2 games behind
The Hawks have fallen to the Heat twice in three meetings this season. The Heat’s schedule is a little less forgiving than the Hawks down the stretch. The Heat have the 11th-hardest schedule, with matchups against six top-10 opponents.
9. Hornets (34-29), tied
The Hawks have the same record as the Hornets. Since the Hornets have won the season series, they earned the tiebreaker over the Hawks in the seeding. The Hornets have been on a tear, winning six consecutive games, each by more than 15 points.
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