Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks have endured an injury-plagued, change-filled season, all with the goal of making the playoffs. With nine games to go, the playoff and Play-In Tournament pictures are becoming clearer.
ESPN went through the different levels of postseason involvement, assigning percentages given where things stand as of March 29.
The Hawks have a 64% chance of making the playoffs.
They also still have a chance at overtaking the No. 6 seed currently occupied by the Milwaukee Bucks, whom the Hawks will face on Sunday. The Hawks are one of four teams still alive for the playoffs outright.
The Orlando Magic, whom the Hawks will face two more times in the regular season and possibly in the Play-In Tournament, have the best playoff chances of that sub-group at 77%.
After the Hawks, the Chicago Bulls are followed by the Miami Heat.
The Hawks will not see either team before the postseason, putting additional emphasis on Atlanta winning as many of their remaining games as possible. The Hawks are on a two-game losing streak and are 6-4 in their last 10 outings, though.
That same field makes up the pool of Play-In Tournament contenders, with all four owning 99% chances of playing at least an 83rd game.
The Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, and Washington Wizards have been eliminated.
The Hawks and Magic are jockeying for positioning with home-court advantage at stake. They will each host one of the two remaining regular-season matchups, underscoring just how significant they will be.
Per Tankathon, the Heat are the only team in the Play-In Tournament field with an easier remaining schedule than the Hawks.
Miami and Atlanta rank third and fourth (easiest), respectively.
Chicago has the seventh-easiest and Orlando the 15th. In the end, the Hawks will be in the postseason if they take care of their business.
Hawks’ loss gives Raptors hope
The Hawks’ loss to the Miami Heat on Thursday prevented them from clinching a spot in the Play-In. It also left the door open for the Toronto Raptors, the last team that can still make it while pushing the Hawks out.
The Raptors are 27-47 on the season, but they beat the Hawks in two of the three meetings the two teams had during the regular season.
Toronto stepped over the threshold of that door, beating the Hornets on Friday.
It is still a longshot that the Raptors make the postseason over the Hawks. The Hawks would need to lose out while the Raptors – who are 6-4 in their last 10 games and on a three-game winning streak – go undefeated.