Atlanta's Massive Clash With Orlando On Monday Could Define The Hawks Season

The Atlanta Hawks are on the longest winning streak in the NBA and are the hottest team in the league. They have won nine games in a row and have come close to digging themselves out of the play-in tournament purgatory that they have been in since their run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021.

Over the team's nine-game winning streak, Atlanta is averaging 122.8 points, 49.4 rebounds (14.0 offensive), 30.2 assists and 10.7 steals, winning by an average of +18.8 points.

Despite their nine-game winning streak, the Hawks still have their doubters. Some will point to Atlanta's opponents during this winning streak as not being strong, and while that would be true, winning nine straight is very tough, and winning games against teams that the Hawks are clearly better than is not something that they have not been good at in the past. Atlanta is not being taken seriously as a threat to make the playoffs, let alone be a threat to win a series.

They can change that tomorrow night though.

Big Matchup

The Hawks might be the hottest team in the NBA, but the Orlando Magic are not far behind. The Hawks and the Magic came into the year with high expectations, but due to injuries and other factors, they both fell behind in the standings early on and have spent the past couple of months trying to catch up. The Magic come into tomorrow's game on a seven-game winning streak, in 5th place in the Eastern Conference, and 2.5 games in front of the Hawks.

In other words, tomorrow night is a really big game.

These two teams have not played since November, and the Hawks have won both matchups this season. If they defeat Orlando at home tomorrow, they will win the season series and hold the tiebreaker over the Magic in any scenario in which they are tied in the standings, which is possible.

Since the NBA All-Star break, the Hawks lead the NBA in net rating (12.8), defensive rating (104.6) and defensive rebound % (76.3%), while ranking 10th in offensive rating (117.3), second in rebound % (54.8), and fifth in offensive rebound % (34.3%). The Hawks own a 10-1 record since the All-Star break, tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the highest winning % amongst all teams since the break.

Since making their surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, the Hawks have been stuck in the play-in tournament and have not made it out of there since 2023. To get out of there, the Hawks will have to win some big games down the stretch of the season and that includes tomorrow. To silence the doubters and announce themselves as real playoff contenders, the Hawks must win tomorrow's game. If they don't, they will fall further behind in the standings and continue their stay in the play-in tournament.

Tomorrow represents a chance for this Hawks team to define their season and finally turn things in the right direction. This group has not played in a high-stakes matchup like this before, but they have a chance to prove they are ready for big moments like this.