Hawks vs Knicks: Game Preview, Injury Report, Betting Odds, Projected Starting Lineups For Tonight's Game

Can the Hawks take down another top team in the East in spite of their injuries?

Rohan Raman | Nov 6, 2024

Mar 5, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) shoots the ball as New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) defends during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks are back in action tonight and have an opportunity to rebound from a blowout 123-93 loss against the Boston Celtics. Even though the final score tells a disappointing story, they actually got off to a good start. Atlanta trailed 35-30 at the end of the first quarter, but they could not keep up. After taking a 44-41 lead with 8:39 in the second quarter, the Celtics ended the first half (and the game) on a 34-9 run that gave them a 75-53 lead going into the half.

From there, Boston's defense ground the Hawks' offense into dust as Atlanta attempted to mount a comeback. Things got worse when Trae Young had to leave the game early with a rib strain. Fortunately, it does appear that Young dodged a long-term injury as he is listed as probable for tonight's game against the Knicks.

Atlanta is still down a significant portion of its roster. Bogdan Bogdanovic (right hamstring tendinopathy), Kobe Bufkin (right shoulder subluxation), Vit Krejci (right adductor strain), and Cody Zeller (not with team) are all out. However, it was announced that DeAndre Hunter is questionable for tonight's game after previously being ruled out against Boston. This could indicate that Hunter will return to the lineup and the Hawks could really use his defense against a Knicks team that has a ton of options on offense.

On New York's side, Cam Payne has been listed as questionable and Precious Achiuwa will likely be ruled out as he recovers from a hamstring injury. However, the Knicks will essentially be at full strength, which could be tough for the Hawks to handle. Their starting lineup of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns has a +5.9 net rating, which ranks among the top ten in the NBA. Furthermore, Miles McBride can also give the Hawks problems as a rotation piece. They are not the deepest team, but the top-end talent allows the Knicks to credibly go five-out and match up with practically anyone. It will be a good test of how much Atlanta's shorthanded roster can elevate itself.

Game Preview

Despite a putrid performance against the Celtics, the Hawks starting offense is still one of the best in the NBA. Per Cleaning the Glass, their 115.1 points per 100 possessions ranks in the 68th percentile league-wide and grades out as a top-ten rating in basketball. Furthermore, the disappointing showing from the defense against Boston shouldn't erase the fact that Atlanta's starting lineup also concedes 106.5 points per possession, which is the fourth-best mark in 2024-25 and ranks in the 86th percentile.

Those strong marks didn't show up against Boston - six Celtics finished with double-digit points and the trio of Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White all had great performances. Tatum had 28 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds while White had 21 points, six assists and six rebounds. Holiday only had 16 points, but played excellent defense on Trae Young throughout the game.

Coming into tonight's game, the Hawks are 10th in the NBA in PPG, 13th in FG%, 17th in 3PA, 21st in 3P%, 5th in FTA, 24th in rebounding, and 26th-best in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 13th in points per 100 possessions, 8th in effective field goal percentage, 23rd in turnover percentage, 18th offensive rebounding percentage, and 6th in free throw rate.

On defense, Atlanta is 28th in PPG allowed, 15th in field goal percentage allowed, 30th in 3PA allowed, and 30th in 3P% allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 27th in points allowed per 100 possessions, and 25th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

The Knicks are 16th in the NBA in PPG, 5th in FG%, 28th in 3PA, 1st in 3P%, 29th in FTA, 27th in rebounding, and 4th-best in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, New York is 3rd in points per 100 possessions, 10th in effective field goal percentage, 3rd in turnover percentage, 13th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 26th in free throw rate.

As a defense, New York is 7th in PPG allowed, 27th in field goal percentage allowed, 20th in 3PA allowed, and 10th in 3P% allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Knicks are 20th in points allowed per 100 possessions, and 30th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Much will be made of the matchup between Trae Young and Jalen Brunson - it's for good reason. Both guards have somewhat similar abilities as the primary offensive engines for their respective teams. In Young's case, he will need to be better against New York than he was against Boston. There is some reason to believe he can - Derrick White and Jrue Holiday is a far cry from the combination of Brunson/McBride/Bridges that the Knicks might use on Young. One thing that I'm interested in seeing is whether Young can put the Knicks in foul trouble and comprise their lineups in that way.

To contain Brunson, Atlanta's best chance is likely throwing Dyson Daniels on him. Daniels has been a fantastic defender for Atlanta this year and his offense has come around to the point where he can play starter-level minutes. He only finished with eight points, three assists and two rebounds against Boston, but that has been an outlier from the majority of his season thus far. It will also be critical for either Clint Capela or Onyeka Okongwu to offer help and stay with Brunson if he gets past Daniels.

However, the Hawks also have to respect the offensive capabilities of Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns as consistent 15-20 point scorers on a given night. Towns' combination of seven-foot size and shooting is formidable and he's in the middle of a hot streak. Coming into tonight's game, the Knicks center is shooting a ridiculous 57.9% on 3.2 attempts from deep. That number will almost certainly normalize at some point, but it might not be tonight. Atlanta does not guard the three-ball especially well and Clint Capela's lack of true mobility as a center could make it difficult for him to hold up in this one. Onyeka Okongwu had a strong game against Boston, putting up 18 points and 10 rebounds, and it makes sense to give him a heavy workload against the Knicks. He is athletic enough to close out on Towns on the perimeter while also offering some resistance in the paint. Jalen Johnson could also offer help as another option that brings the strength and speed necessary to slow down Towns.

To slow down Bridges, the Hawks will likely use a variety of options. Zaccharie Risacher, Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson should all get some opportunities on Bridges, but he is a tough player to slow down when his three-pointer is on. It has been thus far - he is shooting 38.5% on 6.5 attempts from deep. He is a great 3&D wing and he should also get opportunities to guard Young. A good two-way performance from Bridges could make it difficult for the Hawks to win this game.

Jalen Johnson had a mediocre performance against Boston, but still recorded a 20 pt - 11 rebound - four assist statline on poor efficiency. His matchup against Anunoby will be a critical part of this game for Atlanta. Anunoby has been one of the best defensive players in the NBA thus far, but Johnson is a unique matchup of passing skill, shooting and athleticism. Even if he cannot shake free for a big scoring performance, I expect him to be very involved in Atlanta's offense as a passer if the Knicks throttle down on taking Young out of the game. Risacher has looked rough in his past few games, but can he provide some spacing against a talented New York defense? Given that the Knicks limit three-point shooters while conceding the midrange, this is a game that Risacher might need to impact as an interior scorer rather than as a three-point shooter.

Neither team is particularly impressive on the boards, but Josh Hart is still one of the best at hustling for rebounds. Keeping him off the boards is going to be a job for Johnson and the combination of Capela/Okongwu with some utlility for Larry Nance Jr. Nance made a big impact as a rebounder against the Pelicans and he could fill a similar role against the Knicks. I also think Keaton Wallace could make an impact as the backup guard for Young - he flashed as a two-way presence in the minutes that he has gotten thus far.