Bing Bong. Knicks Defeat Hawks on Christmas Day
Recap
The entire city of Atlanta rejoiced when the NBA released schedules back in August. Finally, their beloved Hawks would play in a Christmas Day game for the first time since 1989. Even better, the league scheduled a dramatic return of Trae Young to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Knicks and their salivating fans.
Unfortunately, the Hawks have been decimated by a COVID-19 outbreak. Over the last six days, nine players have entered the NBA Health & Safety Protocols. The Hawks are far from the only team to deal with this kind of health scare.
However, the acute timing couldn't have been worse. The Hawks have dropped two of their last three games and continue to lose ground in the Eastern Conference. Since the nationally-televised game was scheduled to be played on Broadway, the league adopted the policy of 'the show must go on.'
The Hawks were able to get Clint Capela back at the last moment. Yet, they were still without eight key players (most notably Trae Young). As a result, the short-handed squad could never gain control of the game. By the third quarter, the Knicks opened their lead up to over 20 points. Despite keeping the starters in throughout the fourth quarter, the Hawks couldn't make up much ground.
When it was all said and done, the team put forth one of their worst shooting performances of the season. Every starter not named Delon Wright shot 15-52 (28.8%) from the field. The team not only struggled on offense, but their defense (especially transition defense) was non-existent.
The Knicks got their second win of the season against their southern rivals. Julius Randle looked like the NBA's reigning Most Improved Player. The big lefty tallied an efficient 25 points with 12 rebounds.
Kemba Walker continued to excel in his starting role. The veteran point guard picked up his first triple-double since 2014. Five Knicks players scored in double digits. The Knicks shot a blistering 40% from deep. As the television broadcast neared its merciful conclusion, Knicks fans serenaded the nation with chants of "**** Trae Young."
Post-Game Interviews
After the game, Hawks coach Nate McMillan praised the Knicks defense. "That first quarter, we were 3-14 in the paint. We had looks; we had shots that wasn't falling for us early. It just seemed like that was the case for most of the night. We couldn't get our shooters open. Their pressure affected us. They were really physical with us guarding our pin-downs, pick-and-rolls. They were pressuring our dribble, and I thought that had an effect on us."
The Hawks next game is at home against the Chicago Bulls on Monday night. Thank you for your support of Sports Illustrated's AllHawks.com. We wish you a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season.
Stats
Hawks Leaders
John Collins - 20 PTS, 8 REB
Delon Wright - 20 PTS, 4 REB
Skylar Mays - 11 PTS, 2 STL
Knicks Leaders
Julius Randle - 25 PTS, 12 REB
Evan Fournier - 15 PTS, 5 REB
Quentin Grimes - 15 PTS, 2 REB
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