With the Hawks eliminated from the NBA’s In-Season Tournament following Tuesday’s loss to the Cavaliers, the league assigned them two additional games Wednesday.
The Hawks will host the Nets at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6 and visit the 76ers at 7 p.m. Dec. 8.
The Hawks were 1-3 in tournament play. They defeated the Pistons and then lost three consecutive to the 76ers, Pacers and Cavaliers.
They needed several things to fall their way, including a win over the Cavaliers, as well as several of the Eastern Conference’s top teams to lose their tournament games.
But the Hawks could not contain Donovan Mitchell in Wednesday’s game, allowing him to get hot in the second quarter. Mitchell ended up scoring 40 points, which helped to propel his team to the win. But like the Hawks, the Cavaliers could not run up the score enough to keep their run in the tournament going.
Instead, the Bucks, the Pacers, who clinched East Group A with their win over the Hawks, and the Celtics took the top three spots. The Knicks secured the East’s lone wild-card spot.
In the Western Conference, the Lakers, the Kings and the Pelicans are the top three teams, while the Suns took the conference’s wild-card spot.
Those teams will face off in their respective conferences in the knockout rounds, which include the tournament’s quarterfinals and begin Monday, followed by the semifinals and finals.
The Hawks, though, will have a few days of rest following their return from their five-game, eight-day road trip.
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