The matchups the Atlanta Hawks will be watching with interest on March 8th
The Atlanta Hawks missed a perfectly good opportunity to move up the standings when they lost to the Detroit Pistons in overtime on the second game of their three-game road trip. While Lou Williams turned back the clock, Trae Young was off against the team from the Motor City.
This leaves the Hawks mired back in the tenth spot which is where they will remain for another couple of days. If they had beaten the Pistons then the Hawks were guaranteed to move up a slot. This is because the Charlotte Hornets and the Brooklyn Nets clash tomorrow and these are the two teams who are directly above the Hawks in the standings.
The Hawks would like the Hornets to keep winning for the draft pick that they acquired in the Cam Reddish trade. This would be a secondary thought to the franchise as they are looking to move up the standings this season.
This is why they will want the Hornets to take the game. The Nets are still in a slight state of disarray even with the return of Kevin Durant from injury. This should mean they can get above the Nets and stay there given the Hawks’ schedule has eased up.
The Atlanta Hawks will be interested in two other games.
The second game that the Hawks will be watching with interest is the contest between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers. While the Pacers are ten games behind the Hawks and are out of playoff contention, they can still shape the post-season.
The Cavaliers are six games ahead of the Hawks in the last direct qualifying position for the playoffs. If the Pacers can take this victory then the Hawks will only be 5.5 games out of the playoffs, with a lot of work to do.
The final game that the Hawks will be watching with interest is the matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Oklahoma City Thunder. This is not because the Hawks can catch the Bucks in the standings, they play them on the last night of their road trip.
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The Bucks will be on the second night of a back to back which is going to help the Hawks who need to play almost perfect basketball until the end of the regular season.