Schedule drip drip drip.
With the regular season schedule soon to be released, the NBA and its 30 teams are beginning to release more details about the more prominent games in the upcoming season. Last season, the league debuted an in-season tournament culminating in a single-elimination portion that had its semifinals and championship played in Las Vegas.
The Hawks are looking to improve on their performance from a season ago and qualify for the knockout tournament portion of what is now call the Emirates NBA Cup (last season the In-Season Tournament).
If you need a refresher on what the tournament is and what its format will be, see this explainer from last season on the general format.
The Hawks have been placed in Group C comprise of five Eastern Conference teams based upon on a rough spread of records from 2023-24.
Group C:
Atlanta Hawks
Washington Wizards
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Boston Celtics
The Hawks play each of the other teams in their group — two home games and two away games. The best record from the group will automatically advance to the eight-team playoff along with a wild card second-place finisher from one of the three Eastern Conference groups.
The NBA has now released the schedule of games for this competition, and it’s as followed for the hometown team — including a nationally televised contest on Black Friday afternoon:
- At Boston Celtics, Tuesday, Nov. 12 — 7:00 PM EST start in TD Garden
- Washington Wizards, Friday, Nov. 15 — 7:30 PM EST start in State Farm Arena
- At Chicago Bulls, Friday, Nov. 22 — 8:00 PM EST start in United Center
- Cleveland Cavaliers, Friday Nov. 29 — 2:30 PM EST start in State Farm Arena (NBA TV)
All four games in group play will be carried by the Hawks’ radio flagship, Sports Radio 92.9 The Game and the Hawks Radio Network. Bally Sports Southeast coverage will be announced at a later date.