Hawks have a tough start, brutal West Coast trip, other schedule takeaways

The Hawks have an interesting schedule ahead of them this season.

The NBA and Hawks released the schedule for the upcoming 2026-27 season on Thursday.

The Hawks don’t have as many back-to-back games as previous years, but they do have a long road trip ahead of them in March.

They will also play most of their home games at 7 p.m. this season, instead of 7:30 p.m. like the previous season.

Of course, the schedule will play a big part in how the Hawks establish their positioning in the new-look Eastern Conference. Things look a little more challenging, with the returns of LeBron James (76ers) and Kawhi Leonard (maybe the Raptors?) to the Eastern Conference.

Plus, the Pacers look poised to make their return to the top six after injuries decimated their roster last year.

The Hawks did get better, as well, with the acquisitions of Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins from the Thunder. They’ll also have a full offseason and training camp with a few of the players they brought aboard at last season’s trade deadline.

Here’s a look at some of the key takeaways from the Hawks’ schedule:

Road runners

The Hawks don’t have a particularly easy start to their schedule, with 12 of their first 20 games taking place on the road. They open their season with seven games in the first 11 days, including a home-away series against Kevin Durant and the Rockets.

Cup hunting

The Hawks, like the rest of the NBA, will be back in the chase for the NBA Cup. Last season, the Knicks became the first team to win the NBA Cup and the NBA Finals in the same season.

The Hawks sit in East Group C, with group play games against the Wizards (Nov. 6), Bulls (Nov. 13), Hornets (Nov. 20) and Celtics (Nov. 27).

Home for the holidays

The Hawks will be able to remain at home for most of the major holidays that span the season. They host the Pistons on Nov. 22 and have three days off before facing the Celtics in Boston on Black Friday.

They also have a four-game homestand the week of Christmas before spending three games at home at the end of December and the beginning of January.

Back-to-backs

It wouldn’t be an NBA schedule if it didn’t include sets of back-to-back games. This year, the Hawks have 12 sets, including five home-and-home back-to-back games. They also have just three road-combination back-to-backs, with the remaining four coming in home-road or road-home combos.

The first week of the season includes a road-home back-to-back, against the Hornets on Oct. 23, then the Rockets the following day.