NBA Schedule Release: Atlanta Hawks Will Host Giannis Antetokounmpo and The Bucks On MLK Day

This will be a rematch of last year's NBA Cup Semifinals. The Bucks outlasted the Hawks 110-102 and ended up winning the NBA Cup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the Hawks gained a lot of respect for the run that they were able to go on.

Hawks Preseason Schedule

The MLK Day matchup against the Bucks is the only known regular season game for the Hawks, but the team offiically announced their preseason schedule yesterday.

Atlanta will open the preseason on Oct. 6th in Houston against the Rockets, they face Memphis on the road on Oct. 11th, they host the Miami Heat on Oct. 13th, and then they face the Rockets again on Oct. 16th.

The Oct. 6 and Oct. 16 contests will be broadcast on the Hawks radio flagship, Sports Radio 92-9 The Game and the Hawks Radio Network, with Voice of the Hawks Steve Holman and pregame, halftime and postgame host Mike Conti. The preseason broadcast schedule on FanDuel Sports Network Southeast will be announced at a later date.

Most Improved Team In The East?

This will be the first chance that Hawks fans will be able to see the new look team that is expected to be one of the top team's in the Eastern Conference.

The Atlanta Hawks are not usually the team that gets praise for their offseason prowess and decision making, but you would be hard-pressed to find someone who follows the NBA who does not like what the Hawks have done this offseason.

Things got started with the big three-team trade that landed the Hawks Kristaps Porzingis and they continued into the actual free agent period. Atlanta signed arguably the top free agent on the market when they inked former Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker to a four-year $62 million deal and then free agent sharpshooter Luke Kennard signed a one-year 11$ million deal.

The biggest move for the Hawks though was on draft night. After trading the No. 22 pick to the Nets in the Kristaps Porzingis trade, Atlanta was left with the No. 13 pick in the draft. The Hawks were able to move back from 13 to 23 in a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans and in return, the Hawks got an unprotected 2026 first round pick that will be the most favorable of New Orleans or Milwaukee. There is a chance that the pick ends up being a top five or higher selection.

Since making those moves, the Hawks have made some under-the-radar moves, such as signing last year's second-round pick Nikola Durisic to a standard contract and signing former Magic forward Caleb Houstan to a one-year deal. Atlanta has one more roster spot available if they choose to use it, but there is no doubt that the roster as currently constructed is one of the best in the Eastern Conference on paper.

Porziņģis averaged 19.5 points, shooting a career-best .412% from three-point territory, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 blocks in 28.8 minutes during the 2024-25 season (.483 FG%, .809 FT%). His .412% from deep ranked 25th in the NBA last season amongst all players and was the second-highest clip amongst all 7-footers, trailing only Karl-Anthony Towns.

He knocked down a career-high tying eight three-pointers twice during the 2024-25 season (Jan. 29 vs. Chicago, April 8 at New York), the only 7-footer in the league to have multiple games with at least eight three-pointers. He owns four career outings with eight made triples, the only 7-footer in league history to have four such games.

If they can stay healthy, which might be their biggest question mark, this team should be firmly in the mix for a top four seed in the East and perhaps more.

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