2013 NBA Standings: Hawks in the middle of tightly bunched Eastern Conference

Wednesday's win over the Philadelphia 76ers lifted the Hawks into fifth place in the Eastern Conference Standings but things are still tightly bunched with only 4.5 games separating third place from seventh place.

Atlanta enters play on Thursday a half game behind the Brooklyn Nets whom they will face Saturday at Philips Arena. The Hawks lead Chicago by a half game after the Bulls lost their second straight on Wednesday. The Celtics are currently in seventh place but just one game behind the Hawks. So this weekend's games become much more important as the season kicks into the final stretch with the playoff scenarios changing almost daily.

Here is a look at the full Eastern Conference Standings entering play on Thursday: