Hawks vs Knicks: Game Thread – ATL looking for revenge in NY

Nov 13, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks point guard Jeff Teague (0) shoots through New York Knicks power forward Andrea Bargnani (77) and small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) in the second half at Philips Arena. The Knicks won 95-91. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Game Preview

The Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks square off for the second time in four days, this time in the Big Apple at The World’s Most Famous Arena.

The Knicks topped the Hawks 95-91 in Atlanta on Wednesday and did so in surprising defensive fashion as they are the only team to limit Atlanta to less than 100 points in a game all season. The Hawks average 104.1 points per game.

New York coach Mike Woodson switched up the lineup Wednesday and went with reigning Sixth Man of the Year award winner J.R. Smith in the starting unit, replacing Pablo Prigioni at the 2-guard position. The move seemed to pay off with a win so Woody is going to go with J.R. in the starting lineup again tonight.

However, the Knicks’ biggest impact performances from Wednesday’s win came from unlikely candidates Andrea Bargnani and Tim Hardaway Jr.

With former Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler out with a non-displaced fracture of the right fibula, Bargnani has been getting the nod at center and has been doing a great job filling in. Bargnani can stretch the floor for New York and he displayed that ability Wednesday night by hitting two timely 3-pointers en route to a 20-point, 11-rebound performance. Hardaway Jr. also did damage, as he dropped 14 points in 15 minutes of action off the bench.

Carmelo Anthony actually struggled against the Hawks, only scoring 25 points on 9-of-25 shooting. He was averaging just over 38 points a game over the previous four matchups vs. Atlanta before Wednesday’s contest.

The Hawks on the other hand will be looking for duplicate performances from stars Al Horford and Jeff Teague, who combined for 48 of the Hawks’ 91 points against the Knicks. However, the dynamic duo will certainly need help from teammates such as Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver to get a win tonight.

Teague has been phenomenal so far this season and will be looking to build upon his tremendous play after scoring a career-high 33 points in yesterday’s win over the 76ers. He is also averaging a career-best 9.9 assists per game, good for 2nd-best in the NBA this season behind Chris Paul.

The Knicks have struggled at home so far, posting a 1-4 record at MSG.

Quick Facts

Who?: Atlanta Hawks vs New York Knicks

What?: Eastern Conference Showdown (Game #10, Road Game #6)

Where?: Madison Square Garden (Manhattan, NY)

When?: Saturday, November 16, 2013 – 7:30 PM (ET)

How?: SportsSouth (ATL) / MSG (NY)

Probable Starters

Atlanta Hawks: 

PG: Jeff Teague | SG: Kyle Korver | SF: DeMarre Carroll | PF: Paul Millsap | C: Al Horford

New York Knicks:

PG: Raymond Felton | SG: Iman Shumpert | SF: J.R. Smith | PF: Carmelo Anthony | C: Andrea Bargnani

Injury Report

Atlanta Hawks: None.

New York Knicks: Metta World Peace (sore left knee) and Tyson Chandler (non-displaced fracture of the right fibula) are out.

Current Records, Streak & Hot, Lukewarm, or Cold

Records: Atlanta Hawks (5-4) / New York Knicks (3-5)

Streaks: Atlanta Hawks –> OVERALL: Won 1 | HOME: Won 1 | ROAD: Won 1                              New York Knicks –> OVERALL: Lost 1 | HOME: Lost 4 | ROAD: Won 2

Home/Away Records: Knicks are (1-4) at home / Hawks are (2-3) on the road.

Atlanta Hawks: Lukewarm. The Hawks lost to the Knicks on Wednesday, but now the team is back to full-strength with Gustavo Ayon and Lou Williams back in the rotation. Atlanta is also coming off a 113-103 victory over the surprise Philadelphia 76ers on Friday and will look to keep the good fortunes rolling with a revenge game against New York.

New York Knicks: Cold. The Knicks beat the Hawks on Wednesday, but that was in Atlanta. New York struggles to defend their home court and has lost four straight at The Garden.

Season/Past Season Series

Atlanta visits New York for the second-of-four contests this season. The clubs will meet again in New York on 12/14 and will finish the series on 2/22 at Philips Arena. The Knicks took the first game, 95-91, at Philips Arena on 11/13. The Hawks last defeated New York 100-90 at home on 3/30/12. The Knicks own a four-game overall winning streak in the series as well as a four-game home winning streak. Atlanta’s last victory in New York was a 99-90 triumph on 11/27/10/ New York leads the all-time series 184-169, including an 88-59 home record.

LAST MEETING — KNICKS 95, HAWKS 91 — PHILIPS ARENA — 11/13/13

New York led by five after one and opened the second quarter on an 18-6 run to push the edge to 17, before Atlanta cut it to 55-45 at the break. The Hawks came roaring back in the third, thanks to a 21-4 burst, outscoring the visitors 23-10 for the period. Trailing 78-72 with just over eight minutes to play in the game, the Knicks went on a 20-4 run over the next six minutes to reclaim the advantage (they would not trail again). Jeff Teague led Atlanta with 25 points and eight assists and Al Horford scored 23. Cartier Martin chipped in 13 off the bench. Carmelo Anthony paced the Knicks with 25 points and Andrea Bargnani had a double-double (20 points/11 rebounds). The Hawks outscored New York 56-28 in the paint, 18-8 in second chance points and 23-11 in fast break points, and won the battle of the boards 47-37. Atlanta also outshot the Knicks .455-to-.420 and hit 16-21 FTs (.762) compared to 9-13 (.692). New York made 12-34 3FGs (.353) while the Hawks hit .208 (5-24) from distance.

Common Threads

Hawks Assistant Coach Kenny Atkinson spent four years as a Knicks Assistant (2008-12), while fellow Assistant Jim Thomas was a scout for New York from 2004-07. Knicks Head Coach Mike Woodson served as the Hawks’ Coach from 2004-10, compiling 206 wins. Knicks Assistant Coach Jim Todd is a former Hawks Assistant. Iman Shumpert played his college ball at Georgia Tech. Cartier Martin and Raymond Felton were teammates with Charlotte in 2008-09. Beno Udrih played for San Antonio from 2004-07 while Hawks Head Coach Mike Budenholzer was an Assistant on Spurs’ bench. Elton Brand and Metta World Peace were teammates with the Bulls from 1999-01, while Hawks Assistant Coach Darvin Ham coached World Peace as an Assistant with the Lakers (2011-13). Gustavo Ayon and Udrih were once traded for one another in a multi-player transaction, with Ayon going to Milwaukee and Udrih to Orlando on 2/21/13.

Information was used from the Hawks and Knicks official gamenotes