Hawks hope to improve playoff standing in key 4-game stretch

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The Atlanta Hawks are aiming for a top-six spot in the NBA playoffs, knowing a repeat of their pace before the All-Star break won’t be close to good enough.

One year after advancing to the Eastern Conference finals, the Hawks feel a sense of urgency to improve their play in the final 24 games of the regular season. They visit Chicago on Thursday night to open a crucial stretch of four games against teams ahead of them in the conference playoff standings, including two against the Bulls.

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A rocky first half, packed with winning and losing streaks, has the Hawks (28-30) tied with Charlotte for ninth in the conference. Atlanta is perilously close to falling out of the play-in tournament.

The Hawks won their last two games before the break, including a 130-109 runaway win at Orlando on March 16. The visit to the Bulls, tied for the top spot in the East, provides an opportunity to gain momentum for a playoff push.

"We’ve got no more time to dig ourselves holes," guard Kevin Huerter said after Wednesday’s practice. "I think we’ve done that a couple times this year where we’ve lost four or five games in a row and put ourselves in a pretty bad position. We don’t have time to do that. But if we can put together wins and put together a streak or two to end the season, we’re going to be right there in the mix where we need to be."

The Hawks lost five straight games in early January before recovering with a seven-game winning streak. Similarly, they followed a six-game skid in early November with seven consecutive wins.

Atlanta’s schedule following the All-Star break is challenging. After hosting Toronto