The Hawks are on fire, aiming for an eighth straight win. Can they take down the Nets on Thursday to help improve their standing?
The Atlanta Hawks are arguably the hottest team in the NBA, as they are riding a seven-game winning streak, and have a date with the lowly Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night to make it eight straight wins.
The last time the Hawks won eight straight games? March of 2021. The same season, Atlanta finished fifth in the Eastern Conference and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Despite still being the ninth seed in the East, Atlanta is just a couple of games back from escaping the play-in, and if the Hawks get some help from the opponents of the Heat, Magic, and 76ers, there's a real possibility Atlanta earns a playoff series come April.
Who's next on the Hawks' schedule? After the Hawks face the Nets on Thursday, they will have two more home games to follow, against the Bucks and Magic. So the Hawks will get the chance in a key matchup against the Magic, at State Farm Arena, to make waves in the standings.
Atlanta has surged to 34-31 after the long winning streak, and although against some friendlier opponents, the Hawks have left no doubt along the way. They picked up two easy victories against the Wizards two weeks ago and then rolled the Bucks, Trail Blazers, and Mavericks.
Behind the winning streak has been a lot of team basketball and balanced scoring efforts. One night it's Jalen Johnson, the next it's Nickeil Alexander-Walker. CJ McCollum and Dyson Daniels have been great creators on offense, and Daniels is not turning the ball over while handling the game from the point guard position.
And another thing to note is the Hawks have played much better defense over the last two weeks, which has been an unforeseen thing for years.
Losing to the Nets on Thursday would be a little disappointing to end the winning streak, but the Hawks wake in a great position with a month to go in the NBA season to improve their standing and earn a playoff series.