The New York Knicks may plan to rest some of their starters in Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Hawks at 8 p.m. ET.
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Via ESPN:
The Hawks still have a chance to gain the Eastern Conference's No. 5 seed, but must end the Knicks' nine-game home win streak Wednesday night to keep alive those hopes.
Atlanta (44-37) needed to win its final two games to earn the fifth seed and a first-round matchup with Brooklyn, but fell 113-96 at home to Toronto on Tuesday.
Coach Larry Drew did not extend any of his players, with every starter logging fewer than 22 minutes and no player reaching 28. Center Al Horford sat out because of soreness in his chest, and his status for Wednesday is not known.
"I'm going to err on the side of caution," Drew said.
The Hawks now must defeat New York (53-28) and hope Chicago loses at home to Washington to gain the No. 5 seed. If that does not happen, Atlanta will be sixth and face Indiana. The Hawks split their four games with the Pacers, with each team winning at home, and split their four with the Nets.
It's unclear how the Knicks will approach this contest since they have clinched the No. 2 seed and face Boston in the first round.
Coach Mike Woodson rested NBA scoring leader Carmelo Anthony as well as Raymond Felton and J.R. Smith for Monday's meaningless 106-95 loss at Charlotte. Tyson Chandlerwas also out with a bulging disc while Kenyon Martin sat out with a sprained left ankle, as Woodson used just seven players.
Woodson seemed to indicate some of those players could see action against the Hawks.
