The Atlanta Hawks can take the next step in Las Vegas by beating the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.
The Atlanta Hawks are on a roll in Summer League play.
After stumbling out of the gate with a one-point loss to open Summer League action in Salt Lake City, the team bounced back with two straight wins before heading to Las Vegas.
In Vegas, Atlanta has played to a perfect 3-0 record, a mark that has the team in position to earn a spot in the playoff bracket.
The Hawks can make that a guarantee by beating the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.
While all 30 NBA teams participate in Las Vegas Summer League competition, only four advance to the playoffs. Each team gets four pool play games to decide who advances to the semifinals, and as it stands now, the Hawks and Los Angeles Lakers (also 3-0) are the only undefeated teams remaining.
That means a win over the Grizzlies would move the Hawks to 4-0 and ensure that they can't fall outside of the top four.
Now, it is also important to note that Atlanta could still get into the playoffs even with a loss on Thursday. There is going to be a laundry list of 3-1 teams hoping to sneak into the bracket. A loss to the Grizzlies would put the Hawks among those 3-1 teams, but the tiebreaker rules may favor Atlanta in that scenario.
As detailed by NBA.com, point differential will be the top tiebreaker used when there are more than two teams tied, and the Hawks currently have the third-best average point differential among all Summer League teams.
A scenario Atlanta certainly wants to avoid is a blowout loss to Memphis, as that would threaten the squad's record and point differential. But if the Hawks' recent stretch of play is any indication, another strong performance on Thursday may be in the cards.
If Atlanta does secure a spot in the four-team bracket, it will play in the semifinals on Saturday. If it were to win Saturday and advance to the title game, that would take place on Sunday.
Meanwhile, in the unlikely event that the Hawks miss the playoffs, they're still guaranteed an additional game beyond Thursday's matchup with the Grizzlies. Each team that misses the playoffs in Las Vegas gets one last game added to its schedule.
All in all, the Summer League Hawks have given their fans a pretty fun ride so far, and depending on what happens from here, the journey could end with a trophy.
