The Atlanta Hawks had an opportunity to secure a spot in the postseason for themselves. A win over the Miami Heat would have secured a Play-In Tournament berth for the Hawks. Instead, with a 122-112 loss, it is back to the drawing board to prepare for their next chance.
The Hawks took a 32-22 lead into the second quarter. They also outscored the Heat 32-29 in the fourth quarter.
However, the 71-48 deficit in Quarters 2 and 3 proved insurmountable.
The Hawks are 9.0 games ahead of the Toronto Raptors, the No. 11 seed in the Eastern Conference entering play on March 28. Toronto was idle on Thursday, so the penalty is just failing to lock in a Play-In spot.
The Hawks still caught a break. The Orlando Magic took on the Dallas Mavericks in a battle of two teams fighting for the postseason amid a slew of injuries – just like the Hawks.
Orlando is just one half-game back of the Atlanta in the standings.
The Magic had a 50-43 lead heading into halftime. But the Mavericks outscored them 58-42 in Anthony Davis’ second game back in the lineup following a groin injury. Again, the Hawks did not put distance between themselves and the Magic.
They can take some solace in knowing the Magic remain at bay with two head-to-head matchups still on the schedule.
The Raptors will host the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.
Hawks catch break against Bucks
The Hawks will catch a break on the injury front in their next outing, a road tilt against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.
Milwaukee will be without All-Star point guard Damian Lillard, who is dealing with a blood clot.
The Bucks will also be coming off one day of rest following what figures to be a hard-fought game against the New York Knicks. Milwaukee has lost two straight and is 4-7 in its last 11 outings.
This will be the rubber match between the two sides. The Hawks will still face a stiff challenge in the Bucks even without Lillard.
Giannis Antetokounmpo remains one of the best players in the NBA.
Brook Lopez’s two-way skill set makes him one of the more unique players, and the Bucks have noted Hawks pest Kyle Kuzma as well. Matchups like these can either highlight your deficiencies or resilience.
The Hawks had five players reach double figures against the Heat, including a 29-point, 12-assist effort from Trae Young.
It was not enough, though.
Notably, after going 6-for-9 in the paint during the first quarter, the Hawks finished 15-for-25 the rest of the way, including 15-for-20 inside the restricted area. Whereas the Hawks had issues with the Houston Rockets’ double-big lineups, they struggled after Miami packed the paint.