With the release of the NBA schedule on Thursday, the Hawks know their path forward to contending in the Eastern Conference.
Expectations are higher because of their successful offseason, which included adding key pieces such as Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard. Other injuries around the East have made the playoffs seemingly a more attainable goal.
Here’s a look at some of the key takeaways from the Hawks’ schedule:
Road warriors
The start of the Hawks’ schedule will be tough, with 13 of their first 21 games on the road. In the second week of the season, they face a tough stretch, including five of the first seven games away from State Farm Arena. That includes matchups against the Magic, Pacers and Cavaliers — three playoff teams. December will provide a chance to turn things around, with eight home games and just four on the road, with possible additional games in the NBA Cup. March is also favorable, with 10 home games and just four on the road.
Cup chase
The Hawks reached the semifinals of the NBA Cup last season, and if they plan to make it back to the knockout round, they’ll have a rough road this year. Two of the favorites in the East — the Pacers and Cavaliers — join them in Group A, in what will be one of the most competitive groups in the league. The first of their Cup games is Oct. 31 at Indiana, followed by a home matchup against the Raptors, a road contest against the Wizards on Nov. 25 and finishing versus the Cavaliers on Nov. 28 at State Farm Arena.
Go west
In most seasons, there’s some difficulty in the schedule for teams in the Eastern Conference making the trek west. For the Hawks, it’s manageable, with a four-game stretch against the Clippers (Nov. 10) and followed by a back-to-back at the Kings (Nov. 12) and Jazz (Nov. 13). They finish with a matchup against the Suns (Nov. 16).
The second Western trip is more difficult and includes the Nuggets (Jan. 9), Warriors (Jan. 11), Lakers (Jan. 13) and Trail Blazers (Jan. 15). Sometimes, the Western trips are a bit longer, but a pair of four-game stints could bode well.
Back-to-backs
Another hallmark of the schedule release is marking the number of back-to-backs — and in that respect, the Hawks did well. They only have 13 games on consecutive days, and of those, only two are back-to-back home games and three road-road combinations. The other eight are combos of home-road or road-home, which can be difficult also.
Notably, the first week of the season includes a road-home back-to-back, against the Magic on Oct. 24, followed by a marquee matchup against the defending-champion Thunder.
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