How’d they do in group play? 3-1, plus-15 point differential.
Did they win a tough group? Absolutely. The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers were in East Group C, and Atlanta beat them both. Sure, the Hawks also had the Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls in the group, but losing to Chicago isn’t a bad thing this season. They Bulls are scrappy. And the good news is they didn’t lose to the Wizards a third time when they played (yes, they’re 1-2 against Washington this season).
Is this meaningful for them? It is and should be. The Hawks have struggled with being competitive and progressing as a team since they made the 2021 Eastern Conference finals. While the NBA Cup is still new, it does add a bit of edge to some of these games, and we’ve seen that with their play so far. The Hawks are 7-1 in their last eight games and starting to flash the consistency of a team to be feared. Continuing that over into the NBA Cup could have the same effect as we saw with the Indiana Pacers last season.
How’d they make it to Vegas? They faced the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden and used a 34-18 third quarter to take control. Their defense was intense in the second half of that game, and we saw Trae Young get diabolical with how he carved up the Knicks’ defense in the 108-100 win. We also saw Jalen Johnson and De’Andre Hunter make massive players, which has been the staple of this eight-game stretch.
