The Hawks will face the winner of the Chicago Bulls-Miami Heat Play-In Matchup
The Atlanta Hawks were embarrassed in last night’s NBA Play-In Tournament game against the Orlando Magic, losing 120-95, and imploding in the fourth quarter, getting outscored 41-22 in the final quarter of action. The result is that the Magic clinch a playoff spot against the Boston Celtics while the Hawks are going to face a win or go home scenario at home on Friday night against either the Miami Heat or the Chicago Bulls.
So that begs the question: Which team should the Hawks want to play on Friday night? The answer is it probably does not matter.
The Hawks, Bulls, and Heat are all similar enough and there is not one team of the three that stands above the rest. A fully healthy version of the Hawks with Jalen Johnson, Larry Nance, and Clint Capela is probably the best of the bunch, but that is not the version of the Hawks you have right now. Given that they are at home, the Hawks should be favored in the game, but it won’t be by much.
Let’s start with the Bulls.
The Bulls could be the toughest matchup for the Hawks, seeing as they are 15-5 in their last 20 games and playing pretty well on both ends of the floor. This version of the Bulls though is one that the Hawks have not faced. Atlanta is 2-2 against Chicago this season, but they have not faced the Bulls since defeating them on January 15th. Since then, Chicago has traded Zach LaVine to Sacramento and Josh Giddey has taken on a much larger role and to pretty good success. Giddey and Coby White have been a good backcourt duo over the last couple of months and would certainly give the Hawks defense problems. In terms of offense, the trio of Giddey, White, and Vucevic pose a lot of threats to the Hawks defense, which has not been good since the injuries to the front court.
Apr 6, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3) looks to pass against Charlotte Hornets guard KJ Simpson (25) during the first quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-Imagn Images / Nell Redmond-Imagn Images
When it comes to Miami, the Hawks are also 2-2 this season against the Heat, same as the Bulls, but the difference is that Atlanta has faced this version of the Heat three times already. Three of the four matchups against Miami have come since the trade deadline and the Hawks are 1-2 against the version of Miami. They won an ugly 98-86 game in February, but lost by 22 and 12 in the other two games. If you want to get a sense of Atlanta’s struggles on defense with their front-court injuries, they allowed Miami to shoot 55% in both of the most recent losses to the Heat. Miami is not one of the better offensive teams in the league, similar to Orlando. However, Miami is always a strong defensive team under Erik Spoelstra and that could pose the Hawks problems.
Given the Hawks injuries in the frontcourt, there is not a perfect answer to the question of who the Hawks would rather play. Chicago’s defense would be easier to go against if you are Trae Young, but Chicago could put up a big number on the Hawks defense. Miami’s defense could give the Hawks problems and we have seen this version of Miami get hot from three and shoot well vs Atlanta. Overall, the Hawks could beat or lose to either of these teams on Friday night. There is no perfect answer.