The first postseason game of the NBA year is in the books, with the No. 7 Orlando Magic taking down the No. 8 Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the play-in tournament, 120–95.
It was a frustrating night for the Hawks, who trailed by 14 at halftime and were never able to fully close the gap in the second half. Star guard Trae Young’s night ended early with an ejection that saw him play a bit of keep-away with one of the referees.
Luckily for the Hawks, the loss does not mean the end of their season. Here’s a look at where the Eastern Conference playoff picture stands after Tuesday night.
Heading into Tuesday night, two of the first-round matchups in the East were already determined—the No. 3 New York Knicks would play the No. 6 Detroit Pistons, and the No. 4 Indiana Pacers would face off against the No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks.
With the Magic’s win over the Hawks, they secured the No. 7 spot on the East side of the bracket, and will play the No. 2 Boston Celtics in the first round.
On the other side of the matchup, the Hawks will now head back to Atlanta, where they will host the winner of Wednesday night’s game between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat. That decisive game will take place on Friday night, and the winner will face off against the No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs.
The Hawks still have a chance to make some noise this postseason, but their playoff hopes are now entirely dependent on the outcome of Friday night’s game. This season, Atlanta has a 2–2 record against both the Bulls and Heat.
