Atlanta Hawks Official Seeding and Playoff Scenarios Heading Into Final Day of Regular Season

The Hawks have a playoff spot clinched, but where could Atlanta land in the postseason?

Apr 10, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) dribbles past Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks are postseason bound.

With their win over the Cleveland Cavaliers last night, Atlanta clinched a spot in the top six of the Eastern Conference and will be either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed when the playoffs begin next Saturday. Depending on their seeding, they will face either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the New York Knicks in the first round. This is the first time that the Hawks have avoided the play-in tournament since 2021.

Playoff scenarios

Here is how things breakdown for the Hawks heading into tomorrow:

• The easiest way for the Hawks to clinch the No. 5 seed and set up a first round matchup vs Cleveland is by winning on Sunday against Miami. What will be interesting is how both teams approach the game. Does Atlanta care about their opponent in the first round? If not, will it sit its star players? Miami is locked into either the 9th or 10th and will face Charlotte in the first play-in tournament game. Do they care if the game is home or away, and will they play their main guys? The injury report will say a lot this afternoon.

If the Hawks lose to Miami, they have ways in which they can still finish as the No. 5 seed, though that is where it can get complicated:

Complete Playoff & Play-In scenarios for Sunday's games.

See how each result impacts seeding ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/6b8Wdv67h3

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 11, 2026

Atlanta will win any three way tie courtesy of them winning the

Three teams are contending for one automatic playoff spot (top six) in the East. Here’s how each can clinch:

▪️Toronto: with a win OR losses by Orlando AND Philadelphia.

▪️Orlando: with a win AND a Toronto loss.

▪️Philadelphia: with a win AND losses by Toronto AND Orlando.

At the end of the day, the Hawks should be pleased with their progress as a team over the past couple of months and that they are no longer headed for the play-in tournament.

The Hawks entered the month of March on a three-game winning streak. From Feb. 22 through March 18, Atlanta won 11 straight games, winning all but one game by double digits (March 7 vs. Philadelphia, 125-116, +9).

The Hawks became just the second team in NBA history to win 11 straight contests by nine-or-more points, joining the 1946 Washington Capitols. During March, Atlanta went a perfect 10-0 inside the award-winning State Farm Arena and through early April, put together a 13-game home winning streak, the club’s longest single-season home winning streak since the 1996-97 campaign (20).

In March, Atlanta ranked first amongst all Eastern Conference teams in points per game (122.5), effective field goal percentage (.576%), forced turnovers per game (17.6) and points off turnovers per game (24.9), while ranking second in net rating (11.5), defensive rating (109.4) and true shooting percentage (.605%).

En route to NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month honors (the fifth time in his career earning the monthly honor), Hawks Head Coach Quin Snyder secured his 500th career regular season victory on March 28, becoming the 41st coach in NBA history to 500 career wins and the sixth active head coach to do so.