Official Game Thread: Knicks at Hawks

[lethalweapon3]

 “Now, you listen up, Julius Randle. Don’t you dare come into my city and spoil our team’s winning streak!”

 

Are the New York Knicks hurtling back to Earth? This Atlanta Hawks fan certainly hopes that’s the case.

The Knicks and Hawks seemed to be trading places when last they met at Madison Square Garden. New York throttled an Atlanta team awash in off-court controversy while missing forwards De’Andre Hunter and John Collins. Along the way to a 113-89 loss, the Hawks shot just 37.6 percent on the floor (6-for-36 on threes, incl. Bogdan Bogdanovic’s 10-shot bagel), their worst showing of the season before similarly poor output the following week in Memphis.

Now the scene turns to State Farm Arena (7:30 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, MSG Network in NYC). The Hawks (23-22), coming together as a healthier unit, are back above .500 for the first-time since the pre-Christmas Break tune-up with Detroit had them at 17-16. That’s thanks to a pair of high-profile victories this week over Miami and Dallas.

The Knicks were initiating an eight-game win streak when they sandblasted the Hawks back on December 7. Then New York lost five straight, but recovered to prevail in seven of their next eight games. Yet they’ve lost two games this week versus subpar teams they defeated mere days before.

Brunsanity! Landry Fields won’t need to offer Jalen Brunson his couch anytime soon. Jalen had up-and-down production until the Christmas Day game versus Philly, but since then has gone on a tear (last 10 games: 30.8 PPG, 5.7 APG, 5.2 RPG, 48.1 3FG%). It’s just in time to firm up the Knick’s spot in the hopper, along with Trae and Tyrese (yes, Wally. Sorry.) for the players’ and media’s final All-Star guard spots in the NBA East.

Brunson is simply taking more command of the offense. While Jalen exceeded 20 field goal attempts in just one of his first 16 games with the Knicks, he has taken between 20 to 30 shots in six of the last eight contests, with no less than 17 in the others. His efficiency hasn’t waned as a shooter, which is great news for New York as high shot-volume forwards Julius Randle (last 10 games: 41.1 FG%, 29.9 3FG%, 71.1 FT%) and R.J. Barrett (last 5 games: 43.3 FG%, 25.0 3FG%, 72.7 FT%) leave plenty of points on the table.

Randle enjoyed his season-high 42 points against the carcass of the Pistons in Detroit on Sunday. But in the last two home losses to the Raptors and Wizards this week, he looked more like Julius Erring (35.1 FG%, 1-for-11 on threes) in combining for 35 points. It’s a harbinger of a regression to Randle’s nightmarish follow-up to his Most Improved Player season, something Tom Thibodeau will want to impede if the Knicks (25-21; 11-13 at MSG but 14-8 on the road) are to regain their stay in No-Play-Ins territory.

Julius has had a renaissance as a rebounder (career-high 10.7 RPG, incl. 14.5 RPG in last 12 games), and more of that will be needed now with starting center Mitchell Robinson (surgery on fractured thumb) out of the lineup for several weeks. Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein’s offensive rebounding keeps the Knicks (NBA-highs of 46.0 O-Reb chance% and 17.6 second-chance points per-48; 55.9 TS%, 27^th in NBA) in games they would normally shoot their way out of, setting up Brunson (4.7 clutch-scenario PPG, 3^rd in NBA) to close things out.

Randle will spend more time living in the offensive paint, but Robinson’s absence will press Thibs to press Obi Toppin (10.7 MPG in his recent return from injury) into more productive time on the floor. Toppin’s .125 per-48 Win Shares ranks 5^th among 2020’s first-rounders, the draft class looking up currently at Atlanta’s current starting center, Onyeka Okongwu (.175 WS/48).

Like Atlanta (55.4% of buckets assisted, 29^th in NBA; 12.5 TO%, 2^nd-best in NBA), New York (NBA-low 54.2% of FGs assisted; 13.1 TO%, 4^th-best in NBA) is a low-assist, low-turnover club that relies a bunch on isolation possessions with only modest results, particularly when they don’t sink contested shots nor earn trips to the free throw line. Even a season-high 35 Knick free throw shots against Toronto, and season-highs of 20 O-Rebs against the Raps and Wiz each, weren’t enough to make up for some awful bricklaying (combined 16-for-57 3FGs the last two games).

Atlanta has only shot worse than 43 percent in winning fashion once this season, and that was back on November 2 at MSG (41.1 FG%, same as NYK, but on 17 more shots thanks in part to nine fewer TOs), when Dejounte Murray took over the arena and left miffed Manhattanites calling the Mayor’s Office once more. Murray’s big-play and big-shot heroics will hopefully be in long supply this evening, particularly if Trae Young (questionable, sore ankle; up to 32.7 clutch FG% after his late-game floater sunk Dallas on Wednesday) and Bogdanovic (questionable, sore knee) aren’t close to 100 percent on the floor.

But the difference makers for Atlanta will be the bigs, who must find ways to contain the drive-happy, board-crashing Knicks without soaking up momentum-sapping early third, fourth, and fifth fouls. If Nate McMillan is so inclined, today is a good day to unfurl the pride of South Atlanta High, Derrick Favors, if for no better reason to draw some referee whistles in his direction before his ten-day deal expires. Favors hasn’t played a regular-season game in almost a calendar year, but his last decent game came against these Knicks, going 5-for-6 from the field in helping OKC pull off an overtime win at MSG last February.

Atlanta has plenty of work to do going forward, but it would be all the more encouraging to build on their recent victories with back-to-back home wins this weekend over the Knicks and Hornets. While we may not hear it much today, Hawks PA announcer Big Tigger’s favorite exclaim will hopefully be the theme for New York and Atlanta’s momentum for the balance of this season: “It’s Going the Other Way!”

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Another day, another opportunity for an injury upgrade!

~lw3

[ABH]

GO Hawks !!

[Diesel]

I hate to say it but this will be a hard game for us.   NY will come after us in the paint.   I suspect that they will try to be physical in the post and they will come right at us.   We need to play good defense without fouling and hopefully get off to an early lead.   The Knicks are big and Physical and can actually shoot from outside... but they are frontrunners.  If we slap them first, we will take their confidence. 

 

[Gray Mule]

LW3 says we might unfurl our newest Hawk tonight.  Who, on Nate's nine man rotation, will he replace?  You know that he's not going to ten!

[macdaddy]

Trae can go from doubtful to probable in a matter of hours.  

[hawkman]

No letdowns and no regressions. There's no reason to come out sluggish or unprepared in a game that has Playoff seeding implications. They should expect and be prepared to reciprocate physicality tonight. If they can beat the Heat (at home) and the Mavs and Raptors on the road, they can beat the Knicks at home. 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[Spud2nique]

Thanks lw3!
Hawks score 145. I don’t know.. 5 in a row

 

Go Hawks!

[TheNorthCydeRises]

2 hours ago, macdaddy said:

Trae can go from doubtful to probable in a matter of hours.  

 

That's because Trae is superhuman.  His only kryptonite is . . . Nate.

[terrell]

1 hour ago, hawkman said:

No letdowns and no regressions. There's no reason to come out sluggish or unprepared in a game that has Playoff seeding implications. They should expect and be prepared to reciprocate physicality tonight. If they can beat the Heat (at home) and the Mavs and Raptors on the road, they can beat the Knicks at home. 

Agreed.

This is a game we need to win, and a game we SHOULD win with Robinson out.

The Knicks have a net rating of +8.2 with Robinson on the court, and a -1.1 net rating when he's off the court..

Edited January 21, 2023 by terrell

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

CC back starting.

 

 

[terrell]

4 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

CC back starting.

 

 

Dang start OO until we lose a game..

If it aint broke dont fix it.. lol

[terrell]

Offense is clicking, but the Knicks have scored on every possession.. They are scoring too easily.

Come on D!!

Edited January 21, 2023 by terrell

[MaceCase]

Someone tell Dre that RJ is left handed 

[terrell]

 Hunter has been smoked off the dribble 5 times in the first 6 minutes. He looks sleep out there. smh

[JayBirdHawk]

I guess no JJ tonight since AHol is first off the bench. Sigh.

[MaceCase]

Get him back, Johnny.

[hawkman]

Just now, MaceCase said:

Get him back, Johnny.

He's getting worked by Randle.