How Atlanta's Playoff Odds Improved After Last Night's Win Over Memphis

Last night was a perfect night for the Atlanta Hawks.

Yes, they were playing a depleted Memphis team, but they destroyed them from start to finish and Atlanta was without its best player, Jalen Johnson.

That was not the only good piece of news though. Orlando lost to Indiana, the 76ers lost to Oklahoma City, and the Heat lost to San Antonio, giving the Hawks a little bit of breathing room in the playoff standings. While Atlanta is only a half game behind the Raptors for the No. 5 spot in the East, they are only 2.5 games ahead of Charlotte for the No. 10 spot. There is a clear difference between getting in the field as a top six seed and having to go on the road to win two play-in games and then going on the road to face the No. 1 seed.

Updated Odds

Currently at ESPN"s BPI (Basketball Power Index), the Hawks have an 87.1% chance to make the playoffs and a 58.2% chance to make the top six of the conference and only a 41.8% chance to make the play-in tournament.

How does that stack up with the other contenders for the 5-10 spots in the East?

Here is how BPI is currently projecting the playoff field for the end of the season:

1. Detroit Pistons

2. New York Knicks

3. Boston Celtics

4. Cleveland Cavaliers

5. Toronto Raptors

6. Atlanta Hawks

7. Philadelphia 76ers

8. Charlotte Hornets

The final ten games of the season are going to be a sprint to the finish for these teams in the East. While things are compact now and each team seemingly has a path to getting up to No. 5, the reality is that two teams are not going to make it and miss the playoffs altogether and be very disappointed.

For the Hawks, they have a chance not only to get inside the top six, but they have a chance to show that this 16-game stretch since the All-Star Break was not a fluke. They head out on the road tomorrow to face the Pistons, who continue to win despite missing superstar Cade Cunningham. Then, they host the Boston Celtics before having to face the Sacramento Kings on the second night of a back to back.

Atlanta then faces Boston again and then finishes against Orlando, Cleveland (twice), and Miami. The games against the Heat and the Magic are going to be pivotal down the stretch.

Things are looking good for the Hawks right now, but they have a tough stretch of games coming up and they will need to finish strong to avoid the play-in tournament for the first time since the 2020-2021 season.