After run to East finals, Hawks face play-in game vs. Hornets on TSN

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks never expected to be in this position.

Not after last summer's Surprising run to the Eastern Conference final.

But here they are, needing to win two play-in games just to make the playoffs.

First up: the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night in a matchup between the ninth and 10th seeds in the East.

Catch the game at 7pm ET/4pm PT across the TSN Network, TSN Direct and the TSN App. The winner moves on to play the Cleveland Cavaliers in the last-chance qualifier for the playoffs. 

“Our destiny is in our hands," Hawks center Clint Capela said.

Atlanta was one of the biggest surprises of the 2021 postseason, knocking off both the Knicks and the top-seeded 76ers before losing to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in a highly competitive conference final.

With a young core led by Trae Young, the Hawks set a goal of finishing in the top four in the East this season. Instead, after a year plagued by COVID issues, injuries and a strange lack of chemistry, they had to settle for the next-to-last play-in spot.

“We have to live in the moment,” coach Nate McMillan said. “We can't think about all of that. We have a game we have to win."

The Hornets are in the play-in tournament for the second year in a row. While they haven't made the playoffs since 2016, they appear to be a franchise on the rise.

“We feel like we can definitely win and sneak into the playoffs,” guard Terry Rozier said.

The winner of the 9-10 game advances to a road contest Friday against the loser of the 7-8 game between Brooklyn and Cleveland for the final playoff spot in the East.

“We've still got a chance to make the playoffs,” Young said. “We've got to take advantage of it.”

COLLINS UPDATE

The Hawks have been without one of