The Atlanta Hawks have been busy to start the 2026-27 season. Like, extremely busy.
After Monday night's battle with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Hawks were the only team in their division to play 12 games on the season. In fact, they were one of just three Eastern Conference teams to have played that many. It was them, the 76ers and Bucks.
Rest hasn't been their friend. Now, it is. Atlanta can finally afford to lay back for a few days and take a look at what's gone wrong in key games. The only way for a team to get better is to understand what they should do differently moving forward. The right adjustments could make for an impressive upcoming stretch.
The Hawks won't be at home too often the rest of November
They've got just two more home games until the final month of the calendar year.
Before the pair of matchups at State Farm Arena, though, they face a fascinating set of opponents on the road. Starting on Friday, Atlanta will travel to Chicago to take on the struggling Bulls, before running into the Bucks. A two-game stretch against the worst teams in the conference should define their road stretch, right?
Right after they battle against two in-conference opponents with a combined two wins on the season, they'll take on the 2025 NBA Champions - the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Despite a few devastating injuries, the Thunder have been performing well. About as well as they possibly can without three of their four best players. The incredible Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is holding it down for the group. They currently sit at 8-4 on the year.
After their meeting with the Thunder, the schedule doesn't lighten up for awhile. They needed this rest.
Atlanta will face their toughest test yet - it'll show fans exactly where they're at as a group
A home NBA Cup battle with the Hornets awaits them, and then immediately after, the Detroit Pistons will be in town.
Detroit is 7-3 on the year and gave Atlanta serious problems last season. While the Hawks narrowly avoided the sweep, the Pistons won three out of four games against them. Their interior attack was simply too much for Atlanta to handle.
After what should be an incredibly hard-fought game against the Pistons, Atlanta heads back on the road to take on the Celtics and Knicks. Boston, at 10-2, is currently the top seed in the conference. The Knicks are still riding high off of their recent championship victory.
The Hawks need to thank the NBA schedule-makers for giving them a three-day rest ahead of this gauntlet.
Add us as a preferred source on Google