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

After narrowly falling to the Mavericks, can the Hawks get back into position for the seventh seed with a win today against the Knicks?

Jan 20, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) is guarded by New York Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa (5) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Hawks are back in action today against a familiar Eastern Conference opponent in the New York Knicks. Even without factoring in the history between these two teams, this season's series has been wildly entertaining. In the four games they've played during the 2024-25 season, both teams are 2-2 and neither game has been decided by more than nine points. Atlanta won the first two games, including a upset 108-100 victory in the NBA Cup tournament. However, the Knicks have taken the two most recent games and outlasted the Hawks in a narrow 149-148 win during their last matchup. Simply put, both teams play each other well.

After dropping back-to-back games against the Blazers and Mavericks respectively, the Hawks are coming into this game with some extra motivation to get a win. In the Mavericks game, their clutch offense and putrid defense in the third quarter held them back from closing things out. Even with their struggles, the Hawks still held the lead with 1:46 to go. They just couldn't get their offense clicking and didn't have an answer for Anthony Davis. Even so, many of the Hawks' starters had good numbers against the Mavericks. Trae Young led the Hawks tonight with 25 points and 12 assists, Onyeka Okongwu had a good night with 20 points and 14 rebounds, Dyson Daniels scored 17 points and had five assists and six rebounds to go along with those points, and Caris LeVert had 14.

Even without star point guard Jalen Brunson, New York has essentially secured the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference. In their last three games, they blew out the Knicks and Blazers before getting shelled by the Cavaliers. Since they are coming off a blowout loss and Brunson could return, the Hawks should expect a motivated Knicks team that is going to give Atlanta a hard-fought game. It's especially important for Atlanta to win because they're just a game back of the Magic for the seventh seed. Every win matters at this time of the season and a Knicks team potentially still without Brunson offers a decent chance of making up some ground.

Game Preview

Coming into tonight's game, the Hawks are 5th in the NBA in PPG, 14th in FG%, 15th in 3PA, 19th in 3P%, 1st in FTA, 26th in turnovers, and 14th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 17th in points per 100 possessions, 17th in effective field goal percentage, 21st in turnover percentage, 12th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 8th in free throw rate.

Currently, the Hawks rank 27th in PPG allowed, 28th in field goal percentage allowed, 15th in three-point attempts allowed, and 28th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 18th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 28th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

New York has one of the best scoring units in the NBA. They're 9th in points per game, 4th in FG%, 27th in 3PA, 10th in 3P%, 24th in FTA, 4th in turnovers, and 24th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, New York is 5th in points per 100 possessions, 8th in effective field goal percentage, 5th in turnover percentage, 11th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 17th in free throw rate.

The Knicks' defense isn't great on the perimeter, but they are capable of limiting most offenses. They are 10th in PPG allowed, 23rd in field goal percentage allowed, 5th in three-point attempts allowed, and 27th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, New York is 12th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 22nd in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Throughout the last four matchups between the Knicks and Hawks, New York has been without Mitchell Robinson. He's returned to the lineup on a reduced minutes workload and just sat out against the Cavaliers, so there's a good chance he'll play today. The seven-footer is a great rebounder and defender that usually struggles to hit his free throws. However, he's shooting a career-high 73.3% from the charity stripe. Intentionally fouling Robinson is theoretically a viable strategy for the Hawks late, but if he can hit his free throws, that reduces one possible advantage that Atlanta has. The combination of Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns is going to be tough for Onyeka Okongwu to slow down, especially considering that this is a highly unfavorable matchup for Dominick Barlow. Therefore, Okongwu is going to have to play heavy minutes for the Hawks to have a chance in this one. He's struggled in the past against the Knicks, but he is coming off a solid game versus Anthony Davis and did a good job of deterring the Mavericks in the paint.

One of Trae Young's favorite teams to play against is the New York Knicks. He always comes into this matchup with something to prove and dropped a 38 point, 19 assist double-double in his last appearance versus the Knicks. However, his efficiency hasn't been great as of late. While he's still good for 20+ points and 10+ assists on any given night, he hasn't eclipsed a league-average TS% of 57.6% in his last three games. On the season, his TS% of 56.4% is his worst mark since his rookie season. Given that this game could very easily turn into a shootout, it's something to watch as his efficiency will likely have major consequences for the Hawks down the stretch. He'll likely draw Delon Wright on defense if Brunson can't suit up tonight. Wright is a solid defender and should be able to hang with Young, even if he can't stop him.

Speaking of Wright, the possible absence of Jalen Brunson means he'll have to square off against arguably the NBA's best perimeter defender in Dyson Daniels. Daniels has been incredible throughout the Hawks' second-half schedule and he's averaging 3.1 steals per game. Wright could have a very tough time against the tenacious defender - look for Daniels to get back to his usual numbers after being held to one steal against Dallas.

After a 36-point outing against the Bucks, Zaccharie Risacher has had back-to-back quiet games against the Blazers and Mavericks. In those two outings, he's scored a combined 18 points on 8-25 shooting from the field and only made one three-pointer. Fortunately, he's performed quite well against the Knicks in his young career. Risacher had an excellent 33 point game where he nailed six threes early in the season against New York while also recording 16 points on 6-11 shooting in their most recent game. He does also have a 2-point dud on his resume against the Knicks, but he's generally been able to take advantage of their leaky perimeter defense.

In terms of larger trends for the Hawks, they have to be better with turnovers than they were against Dallas. The Mavericks turned Atlanta's 11 turnovers into 19 points and that played a massive role in the tight game. Given that it is likely for today's game to be tightly contested, the Hawks have to do a better job of limiting their turnovers. Young had eight turnovers during their last game against New York, but no other Hawk had more than one. Therefore, there's some reason to believe they can show improvement in this area. Furthermore, the Hawks do have a better second unit than the Knicks. New York will be without Deuce McBride, who is a key contributor in their rotation. The duo of Georges Niang and Caris LeVert offer plenty of secondary scoring that should be critical for Atlanta's chances in this one.

Injury Report

Trae Young (right Achilles tendinitis) is probable while Jalen Johnson, Clint Capela,Larry Nance, Kobe Bufkin, and Jacob Toppin remain out.

For New York, Jalen Brunson (ankle), Mitchell Robinson (ankle), and Cam Payne (ankle) are all listed as questionable while Ariel Hukporti and Deuce McBride are both out.

Odds

According to Fanduel Sportsbook, the Hawks are 4 point favorites against the Knicks tonight and the total is set at 237.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER. 

Projected starting lineups

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Zaccharie Risacher

F - Mouhamed Gueye

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Knicks

G - Delon Wright

G - Josh Hart

F - Mikal Bridges

F - O.G Anunoby

C- Karl-Anthony Towns

Additional Links

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