Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks will look to spoil the fun in Madison Square Garden once again as the New York Knicks eye a potential trip to Las Vegas. You can (hate) watch the game with Tony Pesta and Jackson Flickinger on Playback tonight.
The recent history between these two teams is rich. Young is still one of the most hated athletes in New York for stunning them during the 2021 NBA Playoffs. He averaged 29.2 points and 9.8 assists as the Hawks thrashed the Knicks in a five-game series. But that was four seasons ago — and a lot has changed.
While the Hawks are still built around Young’s heliocentric style, the Knicks have seen a dramatic makeover. Mitchell Robinson is the only remaining Knick from that playoff series. Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby have this team geared hoping for more than an NBA Cup.
New York holds the fourth-best record in the East with the league’s best offense. Their maximized spacing has given Brunson enough room to create anything he wants. Meanwhile, Towns is having a statement season by averaging 25.1 points on a career-best 60% effective field goal percentage.
Last season, the Hawks would have stood no chance against New York’s high-powered offense as they ranked as the 4th worst defense. But this year, Atlanta has improved to roughly league average as the 16th-best defense. It will be an uphill battle but wings such as Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson give them a fighter’s chance.
This game is likely to turn into a shootout. We know Young is capable of leading the charge — but he’ll need his supporting cast to bring their A-game, as well.
INJURY REPORT:
Hawks: Barlow, Dominick — Questionable (G League - Two-Way) Bogdanovic, Bogdan — Questionable (left Quad), Gueye, Mouhamed — Questionable (G League) Hunter, De’Andre — Probable (Right Knee), Johnson, Jalen — Questionable (right shoulder), Lundy, Seth — Questionable (G League), Wallace, Keaton — Questionable (G League) Young, Trae — Probable (Right Achilles; Tendinitis), Zeller, Cody — Out (Not With Team)
Knicks: Hart, Josh — Questionable (Left Ankle), McCullar Jr., Kevin Out — (G League), Robinson, Mitchell — Out (Left Ankle), Towns, Karl-Anthony — Probable (Right Knee)
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