There was bad news and good news for the Hawks following Wednesday’s NBA games.
The bad news? The Hawks lost to the Raptors, ending a four-game win streak. The good news? The Hawks remained third in the Eastern Conference after the Heat lost in overtime at the lowly Lakers. Had the Heat won, they would have jumped into third place by virture of tiebreakers. Instead, they droped to fifth place by virtue of tiebreakers. The Celtics, Heat and Hornets are all tied with a 43-31 record with eight games remaining. All three teams are a game behind the Hawks, who begin a four-game homestand Friday against the Cavaliers, who have six games remaining.
The Wizards suffered another blow to their playoff chances with a loss at the Kings.
Games involving the East playoff race Thursday are: Nets at Cavaliers, Magic at Pacers, Bulls at Rockets and Celtics at Trail Blazers.
Here’s a look at the playoff picture in the East:
| Rk | Team | W-L | Pct. | Div. | Conf. | Home | Away | GB | >=.500 (H/A) | <=.500 (H/A) |
| 1 | Cleveland-x | 52-22 | .703 | 7-5 | 30-14 | 30-7 | 22-15 | - | 6 (3/3) | 2 (1/1) |
| 2 | Toronto-x | 50-24 | .676 | 11-2 | 34-12 | 29-9 | 21-15 | 2 | 5 (2/3) | 3 (1/2) |
| 3 | Atlanta-x | 45-31 | .592 | 8-7 | 27-20 | 24-13 | 21-18 | 8 | 4 (3/1) | 2 (1/1) |
| 4 | Boston | 43-31 | .581 | 10-6 | 29-19 | 25-12 | 18-19 | 9 | 5 (2/3) | 3 (2/1) |
| 5 | Miami | 43-31 | .581 | 9-5 | 27-19 | 25-13 | 18-18 | 9 | 5 (2/3) | 3 (1/2) |
| 6 | Charlotte | 43-31 | .581 | 7-7 | 28-16 | 27-11 | 26-20 | 9 | 3 (0/3) | 5 (3/2) |
| 7 | Detroit | 40-35 | .533 | 8-6 | 25-21 | 25-13 | 15-22 | 12.5 | 4 (1/3) | 3 (2/1) |
| 8 | Indiana | 39-35 | .527 | 6-8 | 24-20 | 23-14 | 16-21 | 13 | 2 (1/1) | 6 (3/3) |
| 9 | Chicago | 37-37 | .500 | 8-5 | 22-25 | 24-14 | 13-23 | 15 | 4 (2/2) | 4 (1/3) |
| 10 | Washington | 36-39 | .480 | 8-6 | 26-21 | 19-19 | 17-20 | 16.5 | 4 (2/2) | 3 (1/2) |
x- Clinched playoff berth
Eliminated from playoffs: Orlando, Milwaukee, New York, Brooklyn, Philadelphia
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