Hawks vs Knicks: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineup for Tonight's Matchup

The Atlanta Hawks are riding a five game losing streak and have lost nine of their last eleven games heading into tonight's game against the New York Knicks. New York meanwhile is 2.5 games out of first place in the Eastern Conference and coming off a Christmas Day victory against the Cavaliers. This is the first meeting between these two teams and they usually play very high level games when they get together.

For Atlanta, they are just looking to get anything going to snap out of this losing streak. In the month of December, the Hawks defense has collapsed and has become one of the worst in the NBA. This team has been trending in the wrong way the entire month and could use a win as much as any team in the league.

The injury report is going to be important today. The Hawks are on the second night of a back-to-back and since returning from his knee injury, Trae Young has not played in a back-to-back and it does not seem like Kristaps Porzingis is going to be available for this game. Keep an eye on the injury report heading into tonight.

By the Numbers

Dec 26, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Asa Newell (14) dunks the ball against the Miami Heat during the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

The Hawks are coming off one of their worst offensive performances of the year and they are going to have to be much better on that end of the floor tonight vs New York.

They are 12th in points, 7th in FG%, 6th in 3P%, 13th in FT%, 25th in rebounds (27th in OREB, 20th in DREB), 1st in assists, and 21st in turnovers per game. They're 15th in offensive rating this year.

As I said earlier, the Hawks defense has been a disaster for a month now. The Hawks' defense ranks 24th in points allowed, 23rd in FG% allowed, 16th in 3P% allowed, 23rd in rebounds allowed, 4th in steals, and 13th in blocks. They're 18th in defensive rating on the year.

The Knicks are one of the best teams in the NBA and the numbers bear that out. They are 5th in points, 9th in FG%, 4th in 3P%, 11th in FT%, 3rd in rebounds (4th in OREB and 15th in DREB), 11th in assists, and 4th in turnovers. They are 4th in offensive rating.

New York is 8th in PPG allowed, 8th in FG% allowed, 21st in 3P% allowed, 5th in rebounds allowed, and 15th in turnovers. They are 14th in defensive rating this season.

Three reasons the Hawks can win this game

Onyeka Okongwu Atlanta Hawk — Dec 26, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) dribbles the ball towards the basket against Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) during the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

All losing streaks come to an end at some point right?

If the Hawks are going to win this game, they are going to have to do better on the boards. While Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns are going to be a big problem for the Hawks tonight, New York is going to be missing Josh Hart, who is one of the best rebounding guards in the NBA and gives his team a lot of extra possessions. Without him, the Knicks are going to be relying on their big men to win the glass, which has been an easy thing for opponents to do against the Hawks.

If Atlanta's offense can get back on track from last night, they have the ability to win a shootout against the Knicks. Trae Young has been known to play his best games against the Knicks, and he has been really solid leading the offense since his return from injury. The Knicks are 21st in three-point percentage allowed and Atlanta has plenty of guys who can get hot. With Young and Jalen Johnson, they can rack up plenty of points. While Jalen Brunson and Towns are great players, they can be picked on defensively.

Three Reasons The Knicks can win this game

Jalen Brunson Knick — Dec 25, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) dribbles up court during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Hawks defense has been a disaster this entire month and the Knicks can certianly take advantage. Between Brunson, Towns, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges, the Knicks have plenty of matchup problems for the Hawks and four guys that can get their own shot. Towns has been a matchup problem in the past for the Hawks and given how much Atlanta has struggled against teams with size, tonight has a chance to be a big night on offense for Towns.

Speaking of Atlanta's rebounding issues, they are going to be up against one of the best offensive rebounders in the NBA. Mitchell Robinson has the capability of completely taking over games on the glass and should not have an issue going up against Atlanta's bigs. Even without Josh Hart, the Knicks are going to have a big rebounding advantage against the Hawks.

While the Knicks are not an elite defense, they have two really strong wing defenders in Anunoby and Bridges. You can expect to see Anunoby guarding Johnson plenty tonight and that is going to be a tough matchup for Johnson.

Injury Report

The Hawks are on the second night of a back-to-back and have not released their injury report yet.

For the Knicks, Josh Hart is out while Deuce McBride is questionable.

How to Watch

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

Tip-off time: 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch: FanDuel Sports Network and NBATV

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks

G - Trae Young

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Zaccharie Risacher

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Knicks

G- Jalen Brunson

G- Mikal Bridges

F- OG Anunoby

F- Karl-Anthony Towns

C- Mitchell Robinson