Atlanta Hawks: 6 Takeaways from Narrow Loss to Knicks

Another Cold Night From Three

Against the Knicks, the Atlanta Hawks continued an alarming trend of shooting quite poorly from beyond the three-point line. After a putrescent showing against the Hornets (6 of 30), the Hawks did improve… marginally. The Hawks shot 11 of 38 (28.9 percent) from distance against the Knicks, which did not help their efforts in the comeback department come winning time. As I evinced, this was a solid tanking game for Atlanta, but if the triples don’t fall for the young guys, that’s not a great sign.

Omari Spellman’s Best Game as a Pro

Speaking of the young guys, Omari Spellman had the best game of his young career in his third career start against the Knicks. Previously, Spellman had recorded a cool 17 points against the Cavaliers for his career-high. In this one, Spellman was all over the court, putting his fingerprints all over this game in 28 impactful minutes as the team’s starting power forward. Spellman’s final stat line was quite well-rounded, showcasing his overall impact for the Atlanta Hawks at the four spot: 18 points (new career-high), 10 rebounds (first double-double), 4 assists, 3 blocks and 1 steal. Excellent stuff from the 30th overall pick, as the Atlanta Hawks and coach Lloyd Pierce see what they have in the “big fella” (as Hawks commentator Bob Rathbun would say).