1988–89 Atlanta Hawks season

[1] After falling into the second round of the playoffs for three straight seasons, the Hawks signed free agent and All-Star forward Moses Malone, who won a championship with the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1983 NBA Finals,[2][3][4][5][6] acquired All-Star guard Reggie Theus from the Sacramento Kings,[7][8][9][10] and signed undrafted rookie forward Duane Ferrell during the off-season.

[11][12] However, Kevin Willis was out with a broken foot suffered during the preseason, and was later on suspended indefinitely for missing functions and rehabilitation therapy.

[23][24][25][26][27] In the Eastern Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Hawks faced off against the 5th-seeded Milwaukee Bucks for the second consecutive year.

[36][37][38][39][40] One notable highlight of the season was the Hawks defeating the Philadelphia 76ers, 135–93 at the Omni Coliseum on April 5, 1989; the Hawks got off to an 18–2 lead early in the game, and held a 78–37 lead at halftime.

At one point during the game, they led by 50 points with a 130–80 lead late in the fourth quarter, when Hawks forward Antoine Carr hit a technical free throw with 2 minutes and 53 seconds left in the game.