The Hawks Can No Longer Be Ignored After Their Dominant Win Over Orlando

Since the NBA All-Star Break, the Atlanta Hawks have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA, going 11-1 and becoming one of the league's best defensive teams in that span. However, while many people could argue that their schedule has been one of the easiest in the NBA, Atlanta has recently played some of the top teams and players in the Eastern Conference.

By my count, the Hawks are now six games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2020-21 regular season.
— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) March 17, 2026

After yesterday's win against Orlando, the Hawks are now on a 10-game winning streak, which is their longest in over a decade since the 2014-15 season. During this winning streak, the Hawks have proven they are one of the scariest teams in the Eastern Conference, especially after yesterday's dominant win over Orlando.

With the win, the Hawks are now on the verge of sweeping another season series against another Eastern Conference playoff team in the Orlando Magic. The thing that stands out most about this matchup is that the last two games have been blowouts, and the game before those, Atlanta came back and won in Orlando.

After the first win this season, Okongwu had the following to say about Orlando:

"We don’t really like the Magic,” they don’t really like us, honestly."

While the rivalry has been lopsided after last season's Play-In Tournament, let's take a look at what the Hawks have done since the winning streak started.

Why the Hawks can't be ignored

Mar 16, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga (0) dribbles against Orlando Magic guard Jett Howard (13) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Ever since Atlanta made some much-needed trades this season, they've looked more complete and played with true chemistry on both ends of the court. At first, many fans and media wondered what Atlanta was doing by trading Trae Young and Kristaps Porzingis, but now that doesn't seem to be much of a topic of conversation, given how the team has looked recently.

In a recent article, our own Jackson Caudell discussed the recent lineup that the Hawks have gone with.

"Atlanta's five-man lineup of CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu has played 217 total minutes together across 20 games. Of all five-man lineups who have played 200+ minutes together this season, Atlanta's lineup of McCollum, Alexander-Walker, Daniels, Johnson, and Okongwu owns the best net rating (29.1), the best defensive rating (96.2), and the second-best offensive rating (125.3), per NBA.com/Stats. That group also owns a true shooting % of 62.6%, the third-best amongst all five-man lineups (min. 200 minutes)."

While pointing out this, he also made an interesting point about Alexander-Walker being one of the Hawks' best free-agent signings ever. Still, another name who should be talked about for the dominance he's displayed is Johnson.

This season, Johnson has had 13 triple-doubles, with Atlanta winning eight of 12 games when he does that. In the past five games, however, Johnson has been putting on a tear, making the Hawks look like real contenders. He's averaged 26.0 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 9.8 APG, 53.8% FG, 44.4% 3P, 83.3% FT, and played 36.9 MPG.

In a recent interview, Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic had the following to say about Johnson and the Hawks.

Nikola Jokic says he’s been watching the Hawks recently because of Jalen Johnson 🃏🗣️

“I watched Atlanta a few times recently, you know, because of that kid Jalen Johnson.”

“He is an interesting player. He’s like a little fawn. He’s good.”

🎙️ @XOsChat pic.twitter.com/BXvOisi386
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) March 8, 2026

With the young and experienced core the Hawks currently have, it's hard to see how they can be ignored beyond the teams they've played recently. However, for those still questioning how good they are, Atlanta will be in action against the league's best over the last few weeks of the season.

In due time, we will see how good this Hawks team is with the playoffs around the corner, but for now, we must enjoy the good basketball this young team is displaying.