The New York Knicks will host the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night in an Eastern Conference showdown at Madison Square Garden. It was only a few seasons ago that these two faced off in the playoffs and now they find themselves in a matchup that will likely have playoff implications. This is the third meeting between these two this season, with the Knicks winning the first two in Atlanta by a total of eight points. Now that the series is moving to New York, it will be interesting if they can replicate this success at home. With both teams holding playoff positions heading into this one, fans will want to tune in.
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Hawks struggle to find wins
This is Atlanta’s third straight game in the Tri-State Area and after losing back-to-back games to Brooklyn, they hope they can pull off an upset in this road game. They have only two wins in their last seven games overall and with a terrible road record as well, it’s hard to expect much from them in this one. It doesn’t help matters that the Hawks lost both meetings against New York earlier in the season, both coming at home. Now they must hit the road to attempt revenge in the rematch, featuring one of the toughest opposition players in the league. They next face another top Eastern Conference team, as they host the Cavs in Atlanta, but with some great home games coming up, it’s a great opportunity to leave it all on the court on the road.
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Atlanta has a long injury record, which has contributed in part to its recent struggles. Trae Young (finger) is the obvious name to watch, as the All-Star guard is out until the end of the month. Adding Onyeka Okongwu (toe) who is also out, these are two key pieces the Hawks must navigate life without.
The Hawks continue to be one of the fastest teams in the NBA, where they find themselves ranked first in field goal attempts. Considering they are 22nd in field goal percentage and three-point percentage, it shows some of their struggles. Young (26.4 ppg, 10.8 apg) remains their leading scorer and primary ball handler and without him, questions remain about where the score came from. Dejounte Murray (21.6 ppg) has the experience to play off the ball, but it will be up to one of their depth pieces to rotate on a career night for them to pull out a win on the road in this one.
The Knicks struggle with injuries
The Knicks were one of the pleasant surprises of this season, finding themselves in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings. With 36 wins already, they have done a great job of turning things around after last season and will want to continue their momentum after picking up a road win last time out. They have only three wins in their last ten games, even though the schedule is filled with likely playoff teams. The coaching staff will remind this team of their wins against Atlanta earlier in the year, both of which came on the road. Even though they were close, New York will now have the fans behind them and even with the injuries, they will have a good chance in this matchup.
The Knicks continue to see starters dwindle and could find themselves without four likely starters in this one. Three players have already been ruled out, namely Julius Randle (shoulder), OG Anunoby (elbow) and Mitchell Robinson (ankle). The name to watch heading into the topiff is Jalen Brunson (Knee), who left early Sunday night and is listed as questionable. If he can’t go, it might be too much to ask of the Knicks to overcome.
The Knicks have been a middling group on the offensive end for much of the season and now, with injuries to worry about as well, it could be a lot to ask of New York to find points in this one. Brunson and Randle combine to score over 50 points per game and with Anunoby averaging 15.6 points per game himself, as well as being the team’s best defender, it’s clear the Knicks will have some hard to afford to do without all three. The X factor for the month should be Josh Hart, who is coming off another triple-double last time out, while they will also need Donte DiVincenzo to catch fire from the outside. Depth has been a key for this group and all season and that is perhaps no more evident than in this one.
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When healthy, the Knicks should dominate this game, but the injuries will be too much for the home team in this one. They will be without two key pieces in the frontcourt, their two best defenders and their All-Star point guard, in all likelihood. Even though Atlanta will be without Young, they still have scoring options to look at, as well as key defensive pieces. The Hawks have played this close in the first two matchups this season and are likely to get over the hump in this one. Heading into Sunday night’s game, the Knicks had covered just once in their previous nine games overall, a trend that should further emerge on Tuesday.
Prediction: Falcons (+4)
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This will likely be one of the lower scoring games on Tuesday’s slate and numerous injuries will certainly continue to drag the score down. Atlanta will be without Young, while the Knicks will likely be without Brunson and Randle. This will instantly reduce a lot of the score and it will show in this one. It doesn’t help that attacking wing has been difficult for this group of teams this season anyway. For the Hawks, the under has hit in five of their last six games overall, while hitting six in a row for New York and eight of their last nine. It’s clear that trends are developing as each team navigates life without their stars, and that continues Tuesday night.
Prediction: Under 217
