Atlanta Hawks: The final game is about seeding and momentum

The Atlanta Hawks have one regular-season game left for 2020-21, a home contest against the team with the worst record in the NBA, the Houston Rockets. This is not a game that the Hawks can take lightly.

The Rockets just took care of the LA Clippers in a game which may have cost the Clippers the third seed. The problem for the Clippers is that they took the game too easily, resting both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. As a result, they lost potential seeding and momentum at the end of the season.

The Hawks will be looking to potentially lock up the fourth seed if the New York Knicks stumble in their last game of the season against the Boston Celtics. This is the second night of a back-to-back for the Knicks after playing an overtime game against the Charlotte Hornets so anything is possible.

The Atlanta Hawks need to continue their momentum.

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The Hawks have won their last ten games at home, they will be looking to make it 11 against the Rockets. This will give them momentum going into the break between the regular season concluding and the playoffs commencing.

Even if the Knicks beat the Celtics, the Hawks have a lot to gain out of this game. They have had De’Andre Hunter back for two games and they need to get him back into game shape as fast as they can.

The positive for the Hawks is they cannot lose the fifth seed. They are a full game ahead of the Heat and hold the tiebreaker. If there was a time for coach Nate McMillan to work on his playoff rotations it is now.

The Hawks can only hope that the Knicks lose against the Celtics. If this happens, then the Hawks can gain the home-court advantage. This small advantage could mean the difference between a first-round win or loss. The Rockets game is crucial for this.