Four Keys to Atlanta Hawks Beating New York Knicks

The Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks are two evenly-matched teams. Only 1.5 game separates them in the standings, and if the season ended today, they would face each other in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament.

Neither Atlanta nor New York wants to bet their season on the high-stakes Play-In Tournament, which makes this game and the season series all the more important. Below are our four keys to victory for Atlanta tonight.

Pace

Atlanta is riding a four-game winning streak, with the last three victories coming against slow-moving teams. Over the past two weeks, Atlanta has shown what its capable of accomplishing when healthy and playing at a fast pace.

Like Atlanta's last few opponents, New York moves at a glacial pace on the court. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau would prefer his team work methodically to get the right matchups for Julius Randle or Jalen Brunson on offense and force Atlanta into a half-court playstyle on the other end of the floor.

Defense

Atlanta and New York split their two prior matchups earlier this season, and they were both low-scoring affairs. There is a high likelihood that tonight's game will turn into another defensive battle for the Eastern Conference foes.

New York ranks 11th in defensive rating, and Atlanta is close behind with the 13th-best defensive rating in the league. Atlanta's offense is stagnant, and their outside shooting is lacking, so they will have to win this game on the defensive end of the floor.

Rebounding

New York is the third-best rebounding team in the league and scores more second-chance points than anyone. Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson (out tonight), and Isaiah Hartenstein are all formidable on the glass.

Meanwhile, Atlanta is a slightly below-average rebounding team and bottom-five in second-chance points allowed. However, Clint Capela returned to action last week and has looked good since dealing with a calf injury. Capela's importance to Atlanta's overall defense and rebounding cannot be overstated.

Julius Randle

Sticking in the post, Julius Randle tallied a 34-point triple-double the last time Atlanta and New York faced off. The All-Star power forward averages over 24 points and ten rebounds per game. Atlanta will have to pack the lane to keep Randle from eating in the paint once again.