‘We just got to keep winning games’: Hawks looking to keep streak rolling

The last two days across the NBA showed that the standings in the Eastern Conference are anything but set. So, the Hawks did what they needed in their efforts to earn better postseason seeding.

The Hawks played just one game in Week 19 and two games in Week 20 of the NBA season. But they won all three to extend their win streak to six.

That allowed them to regain ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings, with a one-game lead on the Hornets (before Charlotte’s game against the Suns on Sunday night).

But the way the Hawks won all three of their most recent games continues their trend of playing connected basketball.

In going 6-0 over the last two weeks, the Hawks have the best point differential (+22.5), the best defense (103.3) and the second-best offense (125.9) in the NBA.

When the Hawks beat the Trail Blazers on March 1, they dominated the Blazers on the glass, outrebounding them 54-38. Their win returned the Hawks to a .500 record for the first time since late December.

Then the Hawks carried that momentum into a win over the Bucks. Despite an aggressive start from Milwaukee, the Hawks doubled down on their defense, holding the Bucks to 42 points in the second half.

Three days later, the Hawks dominated the 76ers in the second half, holding them to 43 points.

Over their last four games, the Hawks have held their opponents to 43 or fewer points after halftime.

But the Hawks’ win over the Sixers on Saturday had some big implications for the Eastern Conference standings, dropping Philadelphia out of the top six. The 76ers now sit in eighth, 1½ games ahead of the Hawks.

Up ahead

The Hawks have three games scheduled this week. All three of the Hawks’ next opponents have records below .500 and all games are at home. Should the Hawks continue to execute their game plans for those games, they could continue making their climb up the standings.

“I mean, we can only really just keep winning games,” Hawks guard Dyson Daniels said Saturday. “And there’s probably four or five teams that could rotate in that probably 5 to 10 spot nearly.

“So, we just got to keep winning games. It’s gonna be, I’m sure, tied down the end. We try not to focus on that too much, but it is in the back of our heads. We see it. We do want to get that playoff spot. We don’t really want to be in the Play-In. So we just got to keep winning games.”

Tuesday vs. Mavericks

The Hawks face No.1 overall pick Cooper Flagg and the Mavericks for the first time this season. The Mavericks have won just two of their last eight games, with an offense and defense that rank among the bottom of the NBA.

Flagg has averaged 20.3 points per game, despite shooting under 30% from 3 this season. But the rookie has been day-to-day with a foot injury following the Mavericks’ game against the Celtics last week.

Thursday vs. Nets

The Hawks have already faced the Nets twice this season. They narrowly escaped the Nets in their second meeting at State Farm Arena last month.

Over the last two weeks, the Nets rank 24th in the NBA in offense and have the third-worst defense.

But the Nets executed a 23-point comeback against the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons on Saturday and played the Hawks well on Feb. 22.

Saturday vs. Bucks

The Hawks avenged their loss to the Bucks on Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a win Thursday. They counteracted the Bucks’ strong start with an 85.7 defensive rating in the second half.