Atlanta's hopes to capture the East's third seed for the NBA Playoffs was dealt a blow Wednesday night with an 88-86 overtime loss to Boston. The Hawks fall two back of the Indiana Pacers and fall into a tie with both the Celtics and the Orlando Magic. Boston holds the tie breaker advantage with the Hawks but Atlanta has the advantage over Orlando. The Hawks and the Magic meet Friday night for the final time during the regular season.
If the playoffs began today then Atlanta would play Boston in the first round with the Celtics getting homecourt advantage. The Hawks have eight game remaining and still have games with the Magic and Celtics as well as the Knicks, Clippers and Mavericks to close out the season. If the Hawks fall to sixth in the standings they would likely face Indiana in the first round. Atlanta has taken two of the three regular season meetings against the Pacers.
| W | L | GB | |
| 1. Chicago Bulls | 44 | 14 | -- |
| 2. Miami Heat | 40 | 16 | 3.0 |
| 3. Indiana Pacers | 36 | 22 | 8.0 |
| 4. Boston Celtics | 34 | 24 | 10.0 |
| 5. Atlanta Hawks | 34 | 24 | 10.0 |
| 6. Orlando Magic | 34 | 24 | 10.0 |
| 7. Philadelphia 76ers | 31 | 27 | 13.0 |
| 8. New York Knicks | 30 | 28 | 14.0 |
| 9. Milwaukee Bucks | 28 | 30 | 16.0 |
For more on 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.