The Atlanta Hawks have a massive game looming on Wednesday. The Hawks visit the New York Knicks in an NBA Cup quarterfinal tilt at Madison Square Garden and, if that game goes favorably for Atlanta, a trip to Las Vegas is on the horizon. Still, this is also a time for the Hawks to potentially refresh and take stock.
A break in the schedule
Quin Snyder and company are able to game-plan for Wednesday’s matchup in New York on the strength of days off on Monday and Tuesday. Unfortunately for the Hawks, that break follows a blowout loss to the Denver Nuggets.
No matter the result on Wednesday at MSG, the Hawks will have only one game in at least five days. That is only the second time this season that Atlanta will have that kind of break to recharge, and it comes at potentially a good time after Jalen Johnson and Bogdan Bogdanovic missed Sunday’s game with injuries.
25 games down
The Hawks have navigated more than 30 percent of the 2024-25 season with 25 games under their belt. Though the team’s win-loss record was uninspiring just two weeks ago, Atlanta is now 13-12 and squarely in the middle of the playoff race.
With De’Andre Hunter available to play, the Hawks are 10-4, and the team’s depth has shown itself to be a strength in recent days. Atlanta also faces approximately a league-average remaining schedule from the standpoint of opponent winning percentage.
In short, the preseason goals of the team are very much still in sight. That is particularly encouraging through the prism of Atlanta’s offense ranking the lowest it has in several seasons when it comes to overall efficiency. There is room to grow on that end of the floor, but the Hawks are defending at their best level in four years, which helps to bridge the gap.
