Three Hawks Games To Circle For the Remainder of the Season

At 24-31, the Atlanta Hawks are in 10th place in the Eastern Conference and have an uphill battle to climb if they want to move up in the standings.

After winning six of eight, the Hawks entered the All-Star Break dropping a very important game vs the Bulls and then an embarrassing loss to the Hornets. It is clear that every game going forward for the rest of the season is important, but there are some that stand out more than others.

So what are those games?

1. vs Orlando (Sun, Feb. 25)

Let's start with one that is right around the corner.

The Hawks have a three-game homestand to open up their post All-Star Break schedule and they will host the Magic in one of those games.

Why is this game important? A couple of reasons. Orlando is currently in the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference, ahead of Atlanta by six games. If Atlanta has any hope of jumping into the 7th or 8th spots in the hope of avoiding a first-round matchup with the Boston Celtics, this game is a must-win. If the Hawks win this game, they will also win the season series against the Magic, giving them the tiebreaker. It is an important game and is as close to a must-win of a regular-season NBA game as there is.

2. At Brooklyn (Feb. 29th, March 2nd)

Ok, I am cheating a little bit here, but these two games are important for the Hawks. Brooklyn is the closest team behind Atlanta in the standings, standing at 11th place in the East, two games behind Atlanta. They just fired their head coach and have been playing pretty poorly for the last two months, but they are still within striking distance. If the Hawks can win these games, they should be able to put enough distance between themselves and the Nets for the rest of the season.

3. vs Miami (April 9th)

Like the Orlando game mentioned above, this game is important for the Hawks if they want to catch Miami in the standings. By this point in the season, we will know where the Hawks stand and if this game actually has any meaning to it, but there is a distinct possibility that this game could determine spots in the Eastern Conference standings. Atlanta is 1-2 vs the Heat this season and this would even the series with Miami.

Three Questions For the Atlanta Hawks For The Rest of the Season

Follow Jackson on X here: @jacksoncauell

Follow Hawks coverage on Facebook here: All Hawks