At least one Hawks player is looking at Sunday’s key matchup against the Nets with an eye toward the playoffs.
DeShawn Stevenson said there is a something more at stake in the game.
“It means a lot because we might end up playing them (in the playoffs),” Stevenson said. “We don’t want to be down 3-1. That game is important.”
The Hawks have lost two of three meetings with the Nets this season, including a poor performance March 9 in a 93-80 loss at Philips Arena.
The Hawks (36-29) have the same record as the Bulls, who own the tiebreaker, for the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference. They are two games behind the fourth-place Nets (38-27). The Celtics, who played the Bobcats on Saturday, would make it a three-way tie with win.
— Reported by Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution