Hawks may not get all the lessons from upcoming matchups with Cavs

The Hawks still have a little bit of a hold on the fifth seed in East in the final week of the regular season.

Despite their 108-105 loss to the Knicks on Monday, the Hawks still have a chance to solidify their spot in the top six. They have three games remaining, including the next two against the Cavaliers.

As of Tuesday, the Hawks (45-34) no longer have a chance to rise to the fourth seed, which is the last spot that guarantees home-court advantage in the first round. The Cavaliers (50-29) are a game behind the Knicks for third place, and are likely locked into the third or fourth seed, with the Celtics in second, 3½ games ahead.

With those possibilities in play, the Hawks won’t necessarily see the Cavs at full strength when the two teams play home-and-home matchups on Wednesday (in Cleveland) and Friday (at State Farm Arena).

The Cavaliers could opt to tempt fate and “plan” their opponent in the first round of the East playoffs. They’ve already begun resting some of their key pieces, sitting bigs Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen when they hosted the Pacers on Sunday.

Then they rested guards Donovan Mitchell and James Harden on Monday in their meeting against the Grizzlies. Mobley and Allen suited up on Monday, helping to lead the Cavaliers to a win.

If the Hawks were to match up against the Knicks in the first-round playoff series, some analysts have suggested that the Hawks would have an advantage — though New York has won two of the three head-to-head meetings this season.

If the Cavs are the opening matchup, the outlook could be a little different, with the Cavaliers having a size advantage with Mobley and Allen as formidable foes. The two teams have split the season series so far, with the two meetings remaining this week.

The final week of games for the Hawks will be a test. The Knicks prevailed on Monday and if the Cavaliers play their full roster, the Hawks could have a bigger challenge ahead of the postseason.

But on Tuesday, the Cavaliers listed Mitchell (ankle sprain), Jaylon Tyson (left great toe bone bruise) and Dean Wade (right ankle sprain) as questionable for Wednesday’s game, according to a report.

So, the Hawks may only get a small idea of what a postseason matchup against the Cavaliers could be.

The same goes for Friday’s game in Atlanta, where the Cavaliers could opt to rest other players nursing bumps and bruises.