The Atlanta Hawks have been locked into the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference for some time, bound for the 9/10 matchup for the NBA Play-In Tournament. And while they have a chance to take down the Chicago Bulls in order for a shot to qualify for the 8th seed, no team is limping into the postseason quite like Atlanta.
Hawks Entering Play-In With Longest Losing Streak In NBA
THE EAST PLAY-IN IS SET. 🍿
(7) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (8) Miami Heat
(9) Chicago Bulls vs. (10) Atlanta Hawks pic.twitter.com/aRx0PNYZXT— theScore (@theScore) April 14, 2024
Things were actually looking up for the Hawks as of a few weeks ago. They had been 5–7 games under the .500 mark for much of the season, but were able to stay afloat among a weaker bottom half in the East. On March 21st, they were 30-39, but still sitting comfortably in the 10th spot.
Then they got hot, winning 6 of 7 games around the end of March and into early April, and actually pulled even with Chicago as both had a record of 36-40 heading into the home stretch of the NBA regular season.
Atlanta fell flat over the final couple of weeks. Four of their final six games were on the road, but they ended up losing them all regardless. Thanks to the futility of the Brooklyn Nets, there has never been a threat to Atlanta’s spot in the standings, but six consecutive defeats is a tough way for the Hawks to enter the most important game of the year.
Atlanta Will Take On Chicago In 9 vs 10 Game
Final. pic.twitter.com/Lm1FvLp4gG
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 14, 2024
The Bulls will likely have the betting advantage entering the Play-In game. They were only three games better than Atlanta during the regular season, but will be the home team for the contest.
Chicago hasn’t exactly performed all that well as of late, going 2-2 over their final five games, with the only wins coming against the Wizards and Pistons. The Hawks were 1-2 against the Bulls in the three games between the sides during the regular season.
Sunday’s final game saw Atlanta end with an even bigger thud. The Pacers were able to score 157 points against the Hawks’ defense, and the contest ended with a 42-point margin.
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