SB Nation Atlanta - Raptors Vs. Hawks: Atlanta Unable To Clinch Playoff Spot In Loss To Toronto

2012 NBA Standings: Hawks One Win Away From Clinching A Playoff Spot

2012-04-16T12:01:03Z

The Atlanta Hawks had a chance to clinch a playoff spot Sunday night against the Toronto Raptors, but the Hawks had a poor performance and lost 102-86. In addition to not clinching a playoff spot, the loss also put the Hawks a half game behind the Celtics for the No. 4 spot and home court advantage.

Right now the Hawks have ix games left and the odds of them falling out of a playoff spot is unlikely since they are four games ahead of the Knicks at the No. 8 spot and six games ahead of the Bucks who are at the No. 9 spot.

The focus for the Hawks is to first get that playoff clinching win and then try to get home court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

Eastern Standings

	GP	W-L	PCT
No. 1 Chicago Bulls	59	45-14	.763
No. 2 Miami Heat	58	41-17	.707
No. 3 Indiana Pacers	60	38-22	.633
No. 4 Boston Celtics	61	36-25	.590
No. 5 Atlanta Hawks	60	35-25	.583
No. 6 Orlando Magic	59	34-25	.576
No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers	59	31-28	.525
No. 8 New York Knicks	60	31-29	.517

For more on this game Hawks fans should visit Peachtree Hoops and for more news and notes from around the NBA head over to SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.

Hawks Vs. Raptors Final Score: Toronto's Offense Is Too Much For Atlanta

2012-04-16T00:34:50Z

The Atlanta Hawks needed to win Sunday night to keep pace with the Boston Celtics for home court in the first round of the playoffs, but Sunday night it was not going to happen as the Toronto Raptors offense was clicking and they routed the Hawks 102-86.

The Hawks offense could not get anything going from Joe Johnson who went 2-of-12 from the field and ended up with only seven points on the night. Josh Smith did have a good game for the Hawks with 26 points and Willie Green and Ivan Johnson both came off the bench to score 14 points apiece. As a team the Hawks only shot 40 percent.

As for the Raptors they blew open this game in the first half and particularly in the second quarter when they outscored the Hawks by 12 and then led by 14 points at the half. The Raptors offense was having their way and they ended up shooting 55 percent from the field and had six players score in double figures with DeMar DeRozan with a team-high with 23 points.

The loss for the Hawks puts them 1/2 game behind the Celtics for the No. 4 seed in the East.

For more on this game Hawks fans should visit Peachtree Hoops and Rators fans should visit Raptors HQ. For more news and notes from around the NBA head over to SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.

Raptors Vs. Hawks Score: Atlanta Delivers Lackluster Half, Trail Toronto 53-49

2012-04-15T23:17:15Z

The Atlanta Hawks have gotten off to a tough start and trail the Toronto Raptors 53-49 at halftime. The Hawks have had a difficult time finding a rhythm at either end of the floor and the result is a Raptors team that is looking more and more comfortable.

Josh Smith showed up offensively for the Hawks in the first half but besides Ivan Johnson didn't get much help from anyone else. Smith has 14 points on 7-12 shooting and has four rebounds. Ivan Johnson scored 11 points and grabbed five boards off the bench in just 16 minutes of action. Vladimir Radmanovic added five points off the bench and Joe Johnson has four on 1-8 shooting in the first half. Jeff Teague and Kirk Hinrich were held scoreless.

Toronto shot a blistering 59 percent in the first half which can pretty much sum up Atlanta's defensive effort. DeMar DeRozan leads all scorers with 15 points at the break while Alan Anderson has 14. Toronto out rebounded Atlanta 26-19 in the first-half.

For more on this game Hawks fans should visit Peachtree Hoops and Rators fans should visit Raptors HQ. For more news and notes from around the NBA head over to SB Nation'sNBA Basketball page.

Raptors Vs. Hawks: Jason Collins To Start, Tracy McGrady Not Playing

2012-04-15T21:17:05Z

Without Zaza Pachulia available Larry Drew will insert Jason Collins into the starting lineup for tonight's game against the Toronto Raptors. Despite being limited at both ends of the floor, Drew is going with Collins size over the much smaller Ivan Johnson.

Jason Collins to replace Zaza Pachulia (foot) in #Hawks starting lineup
— Michael Cunningham (@ajchawks) April 15, 2012

Pachulia is expected to miss at least two games with a foot injury and isn't the only Hawks player that won't be playing tonight. The Hawks have already confirmed that forward Tracy McGrady will dress but will not play. Larry Drew has been extremely cautious with McGrady and has resisted playing him in back-to-back situations. Looks like McGrady should be available for Monday's game in Toronto.

For more on this game Hawks fans should visit Peachtree Hoops and Rators fans should visit Raptors HQ. For more news and notes from around the NBA head over to SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.

2012 Hawks Schedule: Final Stretch Begins Sunday Against Toronto

2012-04-15T18:16:26Z

With a win over the Toronto Raptors the Atlanta Hawks will have made the playoffs for five consecutive seasons. With all things considered, is an awesome achievement for a franchise that hadn't made the playoffs for eight consecutive seasons prior too. Of course, the malaise that comes along with being the Atlanta Hawks is that they are once again sitting in the middle of the pack of the Eastern Conference.

Currently sitting at the No. 5 seed, the Hawks are likely to face the Boston Celtics in the first round and will face the boys from Beantown on Friday night. Can the Hawks get out of the first round? Or is this another season where they came and went with nary a peep made when the postseason comes? We'll find out in a few weeks.

Here are the next five games for the Hawks, including two potential playoff teams at the end of the week.

Hawks Schedule

Next 5 Games

Toronto Sun 04/15 6:00 PM EDT

@ Toronto Mon 04/16 7:00 PM EDT

Detroit Wed 04/18 7:30 PM EDT

Boston Fri 04/20 7:00 PM EDT

New York Sun 04/22 1:00 PM EDT

Last 5 Games

@ Orlando Fri 04/13 W 109 - 81

@ Boston Wed 04/11 L 86 - 88

@ Charlotte Sat 04/07 W 116 - 96

Detroit Fri 04/06 W 101 - 96

Charlotte Wed 04/04 W 120 - 93

For more on this game Hawks fans should visit Peachtree Hoops and Rators fans should visit Raptors HQ. For more news and notes from around the NBA head over to SB Nation'sNBA Basketball page.

2012 NBA Standings: Hawks Can Clinch Playoff Spot With Win Over Toronto

2012-04-15T14:46:42Z

The Atlanta Hawks can clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Toronto Raptors tonight at Philips Arena. While it is fairly certain that the Hawks will be in the playoffs win or lose tonight there is much more at stake in terms of home court advantage in the first-round.

Currently Atlanta is a half game ahead of the Boston Celtics with a 35-24 record. Boston is guaranteed to be no worse than the fourth seed thanks to their lead in the Atlantic division, however the Hawks can earn home court advantage over the Celtics if they finish with a better record. Boston holds all of the tie breakers so every win the Hawks can get are crucial at this point.

Atlanta has fallen 2.5 games behind the Indiana Pacers for third place and hold a one game lead over the Orlando Magic entering play on Sunday. The Hawks have the tie-breakers over the Magic who may be without Dwight Howard for an extended period with a back injury.

1. Chicago Bulls	45-14	--
2. Miami Heat	41-17	3.5
3. Indiana Pacers	38-22	7.5
4. Boston Celtics	35-25	10.5
5. Atlanta Hawks	35-24	10.0
6. Orlando Magic	34-25	11.0
7. New York Knicks	31-28	14.0
8. Philadelphia 76ers	31-28	14.0
*9. Milwaukee Bucks	29-31	16.5

For more on this game Hawks fans should visit Peachtree Hoops and Rators fans should visit Raptors HQ. For more news and notes from around the NBA head over to SB Nation'sNBA Basketball page.

Raptors Vs. Hawks Time, TV, Radio Info And More

2012-04-15T13:40:14Z

The Atlanta Hawks' shot at the third seed in the Eastern Conference may be slipping away but they are still trying to secure home court advantage in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Atlanta enters play on Sunday with a half game lead over the Celtics. The Hawks will need to finish ahead of Boston in the standings because the Celtics own all of the tiebreakers.

Sunday's opponent, the Toronto Raptors, gave the Hawks some help earlier this week by knocking off the Celtics 84-79 on Friday. Atlanta has won the first two games of the season series and the two clubs will meet again on Monday for the fourth and final time this regular season.

Game date/time: Sunday, April 15, 6:00 p.m. ET

Location: Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia

TV: SportSouth

Radio: 680 The Fan, 103.7 FM

Online Streaming: NBA League Pass Broadband

For more on this game Hawks fans should visit Peachtree Hoops and Rators fans should visit Raptors HQ. For more news and notes from around the NBA head over to SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.

Ivan Johnson Back With Hawks On Saturday

2012-04-15T00:31:41Z

The moment it was learned that Hawks rookie Ivan Johnson was sent home for conduct detrimental to the team it was thought that whatever had occurred was probably something between Johnson and the coaching staff. Apparently Johnson's spat was not with any of the coaches but with his teammates and it happened sometime during Atlanta's loss to Boston on Wednesday.

Johnson's history is well documented and his struggles at times to contain his temper but for the most part it has been nothing but positives during his first season in Atlanta. The Hawks sorely need Johnson with the news that Zaza Pachulia will miss at least the next two games with a foot injury.

Larry Drew says there will be no more repercussions for Johnson and that he is back to full status with the club. The Hawks are back in action Sunday when they host the Toronto Raptors.

For more on Ivan Johnson and the Atlanta Hawks check out Peachtree Hoops. For more news and notes from around the NBA head over to SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.

Toronto	Sun 04/15	6:00 PM EDT
@ Toronto	Mon 04/16	7:00 PM EDT
Detroit	Wed 04/18	7:30 PM EDT
Boston	Fri 04/20	7:00 PM EDT
New York	Sun 04/22	1:00 PM EDT

@ Orlando	Fri 04/13	W 109 - 81
@ Boston	Wed 04/11	L 86 - 88
@ Charlotte	Sat 04/07	W 116 - 96
Detroit	Fri 04/06	W 101 - 96
Charlotte	Wed 04/04	W 120 - 93