The Atlanta Hawks are suddenly scuffling, losing four of the last five games. That slide came after a three-game winning streak and, while the Hawks have already clinched a postseason berth of some kind, Atlanta's position in the Southeast Division race is more perilous than it was just a few days ago.
On the more optimistic side, only one of those four losses (Portland) came as a favorite to win the game, with the others coming on the road against playoff-level opponents. Still, Atlanta has shown a recent propensity for giving him large extended runs that have sunk the team in various matchups.
The Hawks have six games to play and, on paper, they will be favored in at least three or four of them. Atlanta also has a pair of head-to-head tilts against the Orlando Magic that may decide the division race and No. 7 seed, but there are several "taking care of business" situations in the meantime.
Today, we glance at where the Hawks currently stack up in the pecking order of the NBA, using a smattering of power rankings posted on the internet over the last few days. These intentionally cast a wide net but, as you will see below, the Hawks fall into the same range in most rankings. Of course, that makes sense with 76 of the 82 regular season games in the books, but the stretch run is here and there is plenty to discuss.
NBA.com: No. 16
Notably, this ranking from John Schuhmann arrived earlier this week and before the Hawks faced the Blazers and Mavericks. Still, it is a relatively encouraging placement for Atlanta, particularly compared to where the Hawks were living for most of the season. He notes that the Hawks recently completed "their best stretch of offense this season," at least by the numbers, and points to Zaccharie Risacher's second-half uptick as a strong story.
ESPN: No. 15
The Hawks are locked into a battle with the Orlando Magic, which Chris Herring highlights here. "The Hawks will be circling their two remaining games with the Magic, whom Atlanta is incredibly likely to face in the play-in matchup for the No. 7 seed. The two teams, who have been swapping spots in the standings all season, are neck-and-neck."
CBS Sports: No. 18
Colin Ward-Henninger writes about Onyeka Okongwu in discussing the Hawks this week, noting that the 24-year-old center has enjoyed something of a breakout in his numbers since taking over for Clint Capela as the starting center a couple of months ago in Atlanta. "He's even made 36% of his 3-pointers over that span, up from 33% last season. The blossoming core of him, Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher is one of the most exciting in the league."
The Athletic: No. 16
Law Murray notes that "the Hawks had one of the stranger road trips of the season as far as direction: flying west to Texas, east to Florida, then north to Wisconsin before heading back down to the Dirty South." That is unquestionably true and, of course, their prize after returning home was an immediate back-to-back in Dallas. NBA schedules are sometimes weird.
NBC Sports: No. 16
Kurt Helin correctly notes "Atlanta’s offense is clicking of late — it has the fourth-best offense in the NBA over the last seven games. Trae Young drives that but they have to keep him healthy for the play-in." The Hawks have jumped back into the top level of the league on offense since the trade deadline, though the defense has waned a bit with more offense-leaning personnel in the mix.