Can Atlanta Catch Chicago for the No. 9 Spot in the Eastern Conference?

There are several NBA playoff races that are worth monitoring and one of those races is the back of the Eastern Conference. While the Atlanta Hawks and the Chicago Bulls have been No.9 and No. 10 for much of the second half of the season, Atlanta has closed the gap on the Bulls to 1.5 games for the No. 9 spot after their miraculous comeback vs Boston and there is a chance that the Hawks could overtake Chicago. The two teams have one remaining game against each other this year and the Bulls already have the tiebreaker virtue of winning the first two matchups they played.

This might sound insignificant to most, but it would be huge for the Hawks to have the game at home instead of going on the road to Chicago to play. The remaining schedule strengths for both teams look similar as well. Per Tankathon, Atlanta has the 12th toughest remaining schedule in the NBA while the Bulls sit at No. 17.

The Bulls looked like they might be sneaking up and stealing the No. 7 or No. 8 spot, but they have started to slide back recently, losing six of their last nine games heading into Wednesday. Wednesday is going to represent another opportunity for the Hawks to close the gap with the Bulls. Atlanta is hosting Portland, who has most of their key contributors out with injuries and the Bulls host the Pacers. The Hawks are a double-digit favorite at home tonight, while the Bulls are home underdogs to Indiana. If the results break the right way for Atlanta, they could enter Thursday's game vs the Celtics with chance to tie things up with the Bulls.

The Hawks are coming off of an unbelievable night on offense, especially after the first quarter. After scoring only 22 points in the first quarter, Atlanta outshot Boston the rest of the way and it was a combined effort from the team. In most games, since Trae Young went down with an injury, the Hawks' offense has had to rely on Dejounte Murray having big games for them to have any sort of success. Murray has had great games vs Portland over the last few meetings, including 40 points in the game a couple of weeks ago. Murray is going to be the best player on the floor even if Ayton and Simons play tonight and he could be in for another big night vs Portland.

Bogdan Bogdanovic had his best game in a while on Monday vs the Celtics. He scored 22 points on 4-7 shooting and he can be the second best option on the floor when he is shooting the ball well. Portland does not have a strong defense and that could make way for another big night for Bogdanovic.

The two stars of the game for the Hawks on Monday night were their two starting forwards, Vit Krejci and De’Andre Hunter. Krejci scored 16 points, including 13 in the third quarter, and Hunter led the team with 24 points, including the dagger three to put the Hawks up four with under ten seconds left. Krejci seems to have grown comfortable in his role as a starter and his improvement is worth monitoring. Hunter has gone back to his usual starting role after being a bench player and he is playing the best basketball of his career right now, especially on offense.

Clint Capela and Bruno Fernando will man the center minutes for the Hawks tonight and Capela is coming off of a big night on both ends of the floor and another double-double. He struggled with Ayton in the last matchup. Fernando set his career high in points just two games ago vs Charlotte and has been a consistent force of energy when on the court.

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