The 1998-99 Atlanta Hawks season was shortened due to a lockout, with the team playing only 50 games. Under the leadership of head coach Lenny Wilkens, the Hawks finished with a 31-19 record, securing the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference. The team was defensively strong, with Dikembe Mutombo, a key player, earning his third NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.
In the playoffs, the Hawks faced the Detroit Pistons in the first round, winning the series 3-2. However, their postseason run was cut short in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, where they were swept 4-0 by the New York Knicks. Despite the abrupt end, the Hawks’ solid regular-season performance highlighted their defensive prowess and competitive spirit.
- Regular Season Record: 31-19
- Playoff Result: Eastern Conference First Round: 3-2, Eastern Conference Semifinals: 0-4
Atlanta Hawks Roster and Stats for 1998-99 Season
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% | GP | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3P% |
| Steve Smith | 36 | 18.7 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 33.8 | 9 | 17.3 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 27.3 |
| Mookie Blaylock | 48 | 13.3 | 4.7 | 5.8 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 30.7 | 9 | 12.6 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 35.3 |
| Alan Henderson | 38 | 12.5 | 6.6 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Dikembe Mutombo | 50 | 10.8 | 12.2 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 2.9 | 0.0 | 9 | 12.6 | 13.9 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 2.6 | 0.0 |
| LaPhonso Ellis | 20 | 10.2 | 5.5 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 20.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Grant Long | 50 | 9.8 | 5.9 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 16.7 | 9 | 11.7 | 8.2 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 25.0 |
| Tyrone Corbin | 47 | 7.5 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 31.9 | 9 | 7.7 | 3.7 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 26.1 |
| Chris Crawford | 42 | 6.9 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 33.3 | 6 | 9.8 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 28.6 |
| Anthony Johnson | 49 | 5.0 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 26.3 | 9 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 50.0 |
| Ed Gray | 30 | 4.9 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 28.6 | 8 | 5.5 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 36.4 |
| Roshown McLeod | 34 | 4.8 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 10.0 | 6 | 4.3 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Jeff Sheppard | 18 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 28.6 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Shammond Williams | 2 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Mark West | 49 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 9 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
Atlanta Hawks in the 1999 NBA Playoffs
Playoffs First Round vs. Detroit Pistons
In the 1999 NBA Playoffs, the Atlanta Hawks faced the Detroit Pistons in the first round, emerging victorious in a tightly contested series. The Hawks, led by Dikembe Mutombo's dominant defensive presence and Steve Smith's scoring prowess, managed to clinch the series 3-2. This win marked their advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, highlighting their resilience and competitive spirit in a lockout-shortened season.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 08, 1999 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 90-70 | |
| May 10, 1999 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 89-69 | |
| May 12, 1999 | @ Detroit Pistons | L 79-63 | |
| May 14, 1999 | @ Detroit Pistons | L 103-82 | |
| May 16, 1999 | vs. Detroit Pistons | W 87-75 |
Playoffs Second Round vs. New York Knicks
In the 1999 NBA Playoffs, the Atlanta Hawks faced the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Unfortunately for the Hawks, their run was cut short as they were swept in four games by a resilient Knicks team that was on a historic run to the NBA Finals as the eighth seed. Despite the efforts of stars like Steve Smith and Dikembe Mutombo, the Hawks struggled to keep pace with the Knicks' physical defense and timely scoring.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 1999 | vs. New York Knicks | L 100-92 | |
| May 20, 1999 | vs. New York Knicks | L 77-70 | |
| May 23, 1999 | @ New York Knicks | L 90-78 | |
| May 24, 1999 | @ New York Knicks | L 79-66 |
Atlanta Hawks 1998-99 Regular Season Game Log
Here is the game log for the 1998-99 season for the Atlanta Hawks.
| Date | Opponent | Result | High Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 05, 1999 | vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | W 100-83 | |
| Feb 06, 1999 | vs. New Jersey Nets | W 111-106 | |
| Feb 07, 1999 | @ New Jersey Nets | L 79-69 | |
| Feb 09, 1999 | @ Chicago Bulls | W 87-71 | |
| Feb 11, 1999 | vs. Charlotte Hornets | W 100-88 | |
| Feb 14, 1999 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | L 78-70 | |
| Feb 16, 1999 | @ Chicago Bulls | W 83-67 | |
| Feb 19, 1999 | vs. Orlando Magic | L 99-94 | |
| Feb 20, 1999 | @ Philadelphia 76ers | W 76-69 | |
| Feb 22, 1999 | vs. Chicago Bulls | L 77-68 | |
| Feb 23, 1999 | @ Dallas Mavericks | L 89-85 | |
| Feb 25, 1999 | @ Houston Rockets | W 93-87 | |
| Feb 27, 1999 | @ Los Angeles Clippers | W 103-74 | |
| Mar 01, 1999 | @ Orlando Magic | L 70-67 | |
| Mar 02, 1999 | vs. Washington Wizards | L 97-77 | |
| Mar 04, 1999 | vs. Toronto Raptors | L 86-77 | |
| Mar 08, 1999 | @ Orlando Magic | W 114-110 | |
| Mar 10, 1999 | @ Miami Heat | L 88-78 | |
| Mar 11, 1999 | vs. Boston Celtics | W 99-85 | |
| Mar 13, 1999 | vs. Toronto Raptors | W 86-75 | |
| Mar 14, 1999 | @ Detroit Pistons | W 85-72 | |
| Mar 16, 1999 | @ Indiana Pacers | W 85-79 | |
| Mar 17, 1999 | vs. Miami Heat | L 86-85 | |
| Mar 19, 1999 | vs. Phoenix Suns | W 93-85 | |
| Mar 20, 1999 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | L 83-77 | |
| Mar 22, 1999 | @ New York Knicks | W 80-71 | |
| Mar 24, 1999 | vs. Indiana Pacers | W 103-102 | |
| Mar 26, 1999 | vs. Chicago Bulls | W 93-81 | |
| Mar 27, 1999 | vs. Philadelphia 76ers | W 103-99 | |
| Mar 29, 1999 | @ Indiana Pacers | W 83-82 | |
| Mar 30, 1999 | vs. Detroit Pistons | L 93-77 | |
| Apr 01, 1999 | @ New Jersey Nets | L 90-85 | |
| Apr 02, 1999 | vs. Vancouver Grizzlies | W 84-81 | |
| Apr 04, 1999 | vs. Charlotte Hornets | W 85-83 | |
| Apr 05, 1999 | @ Charlotte Hornets | W 77-71 | |
| Apr 07, 1999 | @ Detroit Pistons | L 89-82 | |
| Apr 09, 1999 | vs. New York Knicks | L 86-78 | |
| Apr 10, 1999 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | L 81-67 | |
| Apr 13, 1999 | @ Milwaukee Bucks | L 91-84 | |
| Apr 14, 1999 | @ Boston Celtics | W 77-70 | |
| Apr 16, 1999 | vs. Orlando Magic | W 91-79 | |
| Apr 20, 1999 | @ Toronto Raptors | W 103-81 | |
| Apr 22, 1999 | vs. Boston Celtics | W 106-94 | |
| Apr 23, 1999 | @ Washington Wizards | W 89-78 | |
| Apr 25, 1999 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | W 85-70 | |
| Apr 28, 1999 | vs. New York Knicks | W 76-73 | |
| Apr 30, 1999 | vs. Indiana Pacers | L 92-90 | |
| May 02, 1999 | @ Cleveland Cavaliers | W 76-65 | |
| May 04, 1999 | @ Miami Heat | L 93-79 | |
| May 05, 1999 | vs. Washington Wizards | W 100-92 |