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

The Atlanta Hawks are back in action against another premier Eastern Conference opponent in the New York Knicks. In 2024-25, the Hawks are 2-0 vs the Knicks, including a win in the Garden in the NBA Cup Quarterfinals. The Hawks and Knicks have a lot of recent history, including the playoff series in 2021, and both teams generally play each other well. This could also be a preview for one of the Eastern Conference playoff series - the Knicks are currently in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference and the Hawks are 6th.

Atlanta is coming off one of its strongest victories of the season. They took down the Celtics in a 119-115 upset where they looked like the more composed team down the stretch. Onyeka Okongwu had 19 points and 13 rebounds while Young scored 28 points and dished out 12 assists. Dyson Daniels played great defense on Jayson Tatum and scored 23 points. Despite shooting 24% from three, Atlanta's bench outscored Boston's 44-22. Although the Hawks' perimeter defense has struggled this year, they held Boston to just 39% from the field and 29% from three.

The Knicks have been one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, so this will be another big test for the Hawks to answer. Fortunately, Jalen Johnson should be avaliable for the matchup. He's been instrumental to Atlanta's success this year and the team looks dramatically worse without him.

Game Preview

Coming into tonight's game, the Hawks are 6th in the NBA in PPG, 16th in FG%, 15th in 3PA, 20th in 3P%, 3rd in FTA, 23rd in turnovers, and 5th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 16th in points per 100 possessions, 19th in effective field goal percentage, 19th in turnover percentage, 10th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 8th in free throw rate.

Currently, the Hawks rank 28th in PPG allowed, 23rd in field goal percentage allowed, 28th in three-point attempts allowed, and 27th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 15th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 27th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Point-blank, the Knicks have one of the most high-powered offenses in basketball. They are 7th in PPG, 3rd in FG%, 25th in three point attempts, 5th in 3P%, 18th in free throw attempts, 22nd in rebounding, and 5th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, New York is 2nd in points per 100 possessions, 2nd in effective field goal percentage, 5th in turnover percentage, 13th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 11th in free throw rate.

On defense, they do a good job of slowing down opposing offenses. They rank 9th in PPG allowed, 19th in field goal percentage allowed, 6th in three-point attempts allowed, and 26th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, they are 16th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 22nd in effective field goal percentage allowed.

One of the most interesting aspects of this game is the potential matchup between Onyeka Okongwu and Karl-Anthony Towns. Although Towns might be out, it would be an excellent test for Okongwu if he does end up playing. Okongwu has been playing the best basktball of his career as of late - he's averaging 18.3 points, 15.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 blocks on 60.6/75/70.6 shooting splits in his last three games. However, putting up comparable numbers against a true seven-footer with shooting skill in Towns would be a sign that Okongwu's uptick in production is here to stay.

As always, the matchup between Trae Young and Jalen Brunson is going to be a key component of this game. I expect Brunson to see a heavy dose of Dyson Daniels, but it will also be interesting to see how Young will hold up on defense against Brunson. One of the quieter storylines of the year has been the improvements Young has made on that end of the floor. He is no longer a walking target for opposing offenses to relentlessly target.

DeAndre Hunter looked more like himself against Boston with 16 points off the bench, but he only connected on 1 of his eight threes. If the Hawks are to take this game from New York, they will likely need a strong effort from Hunter and it would be nice to see some more success from three-point range. He's been one of Atlanta's best shooters all year.

If Josh Hart or Towns are out, I would expect this to be a game where Atlanta can have success against New York on the boards. Atlanta has been one of the strongest rebounding teams in the league and New York has struggled in the same area all year, Both Hart and Towns have been vital to the Knicks' rebounding and they will be at a massive disadvantage without either of them.

Jalen Johnson recorded a double-double (14 pts, 13 rebounds), but he struggled with his efficiency. He went 5-13 from the field and missed both of his attempts from deep. It will take him some time to work back from injury and things won't be any easier against New York. OG Anunoby is one of the best wing defenders in the league. If he has a good game against New York, it bodes well for him getting back to 100%.

Injury Report

Jalen Johnson (right shoulder inflammation) and Trae Young (right Achilles tendinitis) are both probable for the game tomorrow while Zaccharie Risacher (left adductor strain) is out. Zaccharie Risacher is out along with Larry Nance, Kobe Bufkin, and Cody Zeller.

Josh Hart (neck) and Karl-Anthony Towns (thumb) are both questionable for the Knicks while Mitchell Robinson is out.

Odds

According to Fanduel Sportsbook, the Knicks are 6.5 point favorites tonight vs Atlanta and the over/under is set at 236.

Hawks:

G - Trae Young

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Vit Krejci

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Clint Capela

Knicks:

G - Jalen Brunson

G - Josh Hart

F - Mikal Bridges

F - OG Anunoby

C - Jericho Sims

Game Preview

Injury Report

Odds

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