NBA News: Atlanta Hawks Are One Step Closer to Clinching Playoff Spot

Following an unexpected run to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Atlanta Hawks nearly saw themselves from the outside looking in at the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

Following an unexpected run to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Atlanta Hawks nearly saw themselves from the outside looking in at the 2022 NBA Playoffs. 

While that's still a potential scenario for Trae Young and his team, the Hawks will live to fight another day as they took care of business on Wednesday night.

After the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers to secure the Eastern Conference's seventh seed on Tuesday night, the Hawks and the Charlotte Hornets met for the East's second Play-In matchup.

Atlanta showed their postseason experience right out of the gate as they fired off with 32 points and held the Hornets to just 23 points in the first quarter of action.

While the Hornets battled back in the second quarter, they didn't do enough to avoid trailing by the time halftime rolled around. 

Charlotte needed a significant boost in the second half to avoid falling into a hole against the more experienced postseason team, but that's not what happened in the third quarter.

As Trae Young and DeAndre Hunter combined for 30 of Atlanta's 42 third-quarter points, the Hawks increased their lead to 27 points. Barring a miracle comeback for Charlotte, it was clear that the Hawks were well on their way to advancing to the next phase of the NBA Play-In Tournament.

Sure enough, that was the case. After expanding their lead to as many as 33 points, the Atlanta Hawks ended the Charlotte Hornets once and for all with a dominant 132-103 win. As the Hornets become the sixth Eastern Conference team to fall out of playoff contention, one more will join them soon before the playoffs begin officially.

On Friday night, the Hawks will meet with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the final matchup of the Play-In Tournament. The winner between Cleveland and Atlanta will lock in the eighth and final seed, drawing a series against the Miami Heat.

The loser of the matchup will get an early start to the offseason and begin preparing for the 2022-2023 run. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.