Hawks vs Knicks: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups

Can the Hawks snap their two-game losing streak by beating the Knicks in Madison Square Garden tonight?

The Hawks wrap up their short road trip in New York with a game at Madison Square Garden tonight and Atlanta is hoping that this game goes better than the first two games of the road trip. 

Atlanta is coming off of back-to-back losses to Brooklyn and is now only leading the Nets by 2.5 games for the last play-in spot in the Eastern Conference (the Nets lost to Memphis last night), but there is a big injury hanging over this game. Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson was injured very early in the team's win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, but luckily for the Knicks it was just a bruised knee and Brunson is questionable for tonight's game. If he is unable to play, New York is down four starters because Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson are already out.

The Hawks have been struggling the last few games without Trae Young, but will they find a way to win against the Knicks tonight? Let's preview the game. 

Game Preview

The game could boil down to which team can manufacture enough offense. 

Atlanta's offense without Trae Young has not been the same. Their three-point shooting has dipped because they are not getting as many open looks without his playmaking and as good as Dejounte Murray is, he is not the same level of offensive creator that Young is. Still, Murray is going to have to guide this offense in his continued absence and he has individually been playing well in this four-game stretch. 

The two guys that need to step up more are Bogdan Bogdanovic and Jalen Johnson. In Saturday's game vs Brooklyn, Bogdanovic was 4-13 from the field and scored only 13 points while Johnson had arguably his worst game of the season, scoring seven points on 3-12 shooting and 0-4 from three. These are two of the Hawks most critical players with Young out and Atlanta needs them to be able to find a way to make an impact on the offensive end. 

De'Andre Hunter continues to score well coming off the bench, hitting four of his six three-point attempts against the Nets, and ever since he made the move to come off the bench following his injury, Hunter has seemed comfortable in doing so. Kobe Bufkin, Garrison Matthews, and Bruno Fernando will likely be the rest of the rotation (if Bufkin is able to play) and those three must find a way to make more of an impact collectively. 

Coming into this game, Atlanta ranks 5th in PPG, 22nd in field goal percentage, 7th in three-point attempts, 22nd in three-point percentage, 1st in offensive rebounding, and 12th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 10th in points allowed per 100 possessions, 20th in effective field goal percentage, 8th in turnover percentage, 5th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 8th in free throw rate. 

Despite missing some key players, the Knicks are still defending at a high level. They enter tonight's game 3rd in PPG allowed, 16th in field goal percentage allowed, and 20th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, New York is 12th in points per 100 possessions and 18th in effective field goal percentage allowed. 

Mar 2, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) drives past Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges (1) in the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

If Brunson does not play, the Knicks are going to have a hard time generating offense, even against a porous Hawks defense. New York is 19th in PPG, 23rd in field goal percentage, 13th in three-point attempts, 15th in three-point percentage, 13th in free throw attempts, 2nd in offensive rebounding, and 11th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Knicks are 8th in points per 100 possessions, 21st in effective field goal percentage, 20th in turnover percentage, 1st in offensive rebounding percentage, and 14th in turnover rate. Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, and Bojan Bogdanovic will likely have to carry the load for the Knicks on offense, but the Knicks will likely just try to win a slugfest of a game. 

Defensively, Atlanta has been a little better since Young went out, but it is still one of the NBA's worst. They are currently 29th in PPG allowed, 28th in field goal percentage allowed, and 28th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 26th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 30th in effective field goal percentage allowed.  

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Injury Report

Onyeka Okongwu (left big toe sprain/sesamoiditis) and Trae Young (left fifth finger torn ligament) are out tomorrow while rookie guard Kobe Bufkin (left big toe soreness) is questionable. Bufkin has been the backup point guard for the Hawks while Young has been out and has played well, especially defensively. Keep an eye on his status today.

It looked like Knicks guard Jalen Brunson had a serious injury Sunday night in the opening minutes vs Cleveland but Brunson will be listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game with a left knee contusion according to Ian Begley of SNY.

OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson are out. 

Viewing and Betting Information

Tip-off time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Southeast

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be underdogs on the road tonight, as they are currently 3.5 point underdogs and the over/under is at 214.5 according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G- Bogdan Bogdanovic

G- Dejounte Murray

F- Jalen Johnson

F- Saddiq Bey

C- Clint Capela

Knicks:

G- Jalen Brunson

G- Donte DiVincenzo

F- Josh Hart

F- Precious Achuwa

C- Isaiah Hartenstein