The Hawks are the first Eastern Conference team to advance to the single-elimination knockout round of the 2024 NBA Cup, according to the league (Twitter link).
Despite posting a 9-11 overall record so far this season and finding themselves in a stacked group alongside the conference’s top two teams (Cleveland and Boston), the Hawks clinched their place atop the East Group C standings with a win over the Cavaliers on Friday night.
Atlanta also beat Boston in its NBA Cup opener on November 12, giving the Hawks the tiebreaker edge over the Celtics after both teams finished with a 3-1 record in group play.
The Celtics still have a chance to join the Hawks in the quarterfinals as the East’s wild card team, but that will depend on the outcome of the Bucks/Pistons and Magic/Knicks games on Tuesday. All four of those teams are 3-0 so far, so the two that win on Tuesday will finish atop their respective groups, while the losers (with the exception of the Knicks) could still earn the wild card berth based on point differential.
The Hawks join the Warriors and Rockets as teams that have secured spots in the NBA Cup knockout round. None of those three clubs made the quarterfinals last year in the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament.
The knockout round will begin on December 10.