ATLANTA – At least for one night, the Atlanta Hawks looked like the basketball team that made a stunning run to the final round of the NBA’s Eastern Conference playoffs last summer.
All-Star point guard Trae Young bounced back from a sluggish start to score 24 points, and De’Andre Hunter led a third-quarter surge that carried the Hawks to a 132-103 rout of the Charlotte Hornets in a play-in game Wednesday night.
“We’re definitely confident right now,” Hunter said. “But we’ve got a lot more work to do. We’re not satisfied yet.”
The Hawks were a bit of a disappointment during the regular season, finishing ninth in the East after their surprising playoff success in 2021.
They’ve still got to win one more play-in game just to make the playoffs. They visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, and the winner is the No. 8 seed in the East and will face the top-seeded Miami Heat in the opening round.