Four Big Takeaways From The Atlanta Hawks' Loss against the New York Knicks

The Hawks blow another win at home.

Dec 27, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) reaches for a rebound with New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Tonight, the Hawks came into this game with five straight losses and looking to put an end to that streak with a win against the rival New York Knicks. While things didn't necessarily go in that way, it did look a lot more promising than the previous matchups that we've seen over the past week, to say the least.

What a battle pic.twitter.com/wmF0FLcyND

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) December 28, 2025

1. Paint defense comes back as an issue

PSA - you will continue seeing three guard lineups until the Hawks add more front court depth

Okongwu can’t play 48 minutes per game

Reminder: they have once center, three power forwards, and one small forward

— G Willis (@willis_glen) December 27, 2025

One of the main reasons behind Atlanta's losing streak is that teams can take advantage of the lack of rim presence in the paint, as they did tonight, when they scored 52 points there. The Hawks are without Kristaps Porzingis, leaving them with just one center, Okongwu, and forcing them to play small-ball lineups or give him more minutes than usual. This can be both good and bad, as he is also an undersized center, and as we saw tonight, it was good until late in the game when he fouled out or struggled guarding Karl Anthony Towns.

2. Onyeka Okongwu

Dec 27, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) reacts after a foul against the New York Knicks in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

While Okongwu was one of the few players who helped keep the Hawks in this game, he also found himself in a back-and-forth battle with Anthony Towns, which saw both go for big double-double performances. For Okongwu, he played out of his mind offensively, finishing with 31 points and 14 rebounds, shooting 62/71/60% from the field, in arguably one of his best games this season.

3. Giving up easy opportunities from three-point range

Dec 27, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Knicks guard Kevin McCullar Jr. (9) shoots against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Even though the Hawks made things close in the second half, the main thing they will likely walk away with from this loss is the number of three-point opportunities they allowed the Knicks: 15 made three-pointers, which felt like a barrage in the second half. If Atlanta can figure out a way to cut down on second-chance points, they could win more games as they gave up 23 today and allowed 19 offensive rebounds to New York.

4. A memorable second half

Incredible effort by Nickeil Alexander-Walker pic.twitter.com/gPi9qTaVsB

— Kevin Chouinard (@KLChouinard) December 28, 2025

While things did not look all that great early, the Hawks figured out a way to fight back in the second half, coming all the way back from down 18 in the third quarter and taking a quick lead in the fourth. Much of this had to do with the Hawks playing more consistently on defense and finding ways to create more scoring opportunities in the paint and from the three-point line, compared to the first half, when they couldn't get much going. To end the game, the Hawks had a possession where Nickeil Alexander-Walker switched onto Jalen Brunson and forced a turnover, which helped the Hawks take the lead and, honestly, looked like Atlanta had control. However, this game would end in heartbreak after a few more missed closeout opportunities to end regulation.