The Atlanta Hawks Need Two Wins This Weekend
The Atlanta Hawks have officially ended their horrible losing streak and won two in a row. But they badly need their next two games.
For the first time in what seems like forever, the Hawks are on a winning streak.
After a dismal seven-game winning streak, they pulled off two wins over the Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers. And while the Hawks did secure those two badly-needed wins, they did not look spectacular.
Both games were fairly close against two teams that are bound to be picking in the top five picks of the 2017 NBA Draft. And the Hawks will need to play better down the stretch in order to continue winning games.
More from Hawks News
- Start, Bench, Cut: Sorting through the Hawks’ power forward options
- Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic reacts to earning FIBA World Cup championship bid
- When does training camp start for the Atlanta Hawks?
- Dejounte Murray rips NBA 2K after Atlanta Hawks ratings reveal
- Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic makes special dedication after FIBA win
The rest of Atlanta’s schedule is not very easy and they will need to win their next two games, against the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets, in order to finish the season on a good note.
The Hawks meet the Bulls on Saturday evening in Chicago and this game has a good bit of meaning. The Bulls are sitting at ninth place in the East with a 36-39 record and are just three games behind the Hawks in the standings. They are also fresh off of a big win over the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
This will be the toughest of the next two games for the Hawks, as the Jimmy Butler led Bulls have shown the ability to beat some of the NBA’s best teams.
The following game against the Nets on Sunday is an absolute must-win. The Nets are the worst team in the NBA with a 16-59 record but defeated the Hawks in Philips Arena this past Sunday. The Nets dominated the Hawks in what was the low point of the losing streak and now the Hawks will head to Barclays for the back end of their back-to-back.
But these games are so crucial because of what follows them.
The next three games after the matchup against the Nets come against the best teams in the conference. In a span of four days, the Hawks take on the Boston Celtics and then face the Cleveland Cavaliers twice. Two of those games are at home but are still very tough outs. With the way that the Hawks have played recently, they could very well lose all three of those games.
That is what makes gaining momentum this weekend so crucial. If the Hawks can claim two wins heading into that brutal three-game stretch, then they could absolutely win two, or three, of them. The team will also get three days off after the Nets game to recharge for the final regular-season push.
Next: Can Taurean Prince Make All-Rookie Second Team?
The Bulls and the Nets. Those are the two teams that could thwart momentum for the Hawks heading into the postseason. And if the Hawks lose both of those games, the playoffs become far from certain.