The Atlanta Hawks (35-36) need to beat the New York Knicks for pride as much as anything else that may be at stake. Their loss to the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans knocked them back into 10th in the East. It also reminded everyone of just how inconsistent this team’s effort can be from game to game.
They beat the Phoenix Suns on the road only to suffer their second loss to the Toronto Raptors in five days right after.
Even this loss came after they blew out the Memphis Grizzlies.
Having yet to beat this 30-41 Knicks squad in three tries, the Hawks certainly don’t want to get swept by a team that is just biding its time until the offseason. Not when it is its effort, focus, and toughness that are in question.
A more composed Atlanta Hawks team should be able to knock off the Knicks
The Hawks last win against the Knicks came in the first round of last season’s playoffs. They won in five games with Trae Young famously bowing to the crowd for his masterful performance. Young averaged 29.2 points on 44.1 percent shooting with 9.8 assists in his first postseason series.
Since then, however, it has been all Knicks as they’ve won all three meetings this season by a double-digit margin on average.
Young has averaged 31.0 points, 6.0 assists, and 3.5 boards in two meetings, missing the Christmas Day tilt in health and safety protocols. In fact, the Hawks were shorthanded in all three previous meetings.
The cast of characters has run the gambit too.
De’Andre Hunter and Onyeka Okongwu missed the first game; a 99-90 in which both teams combined for 30 points in the fourth quarter. They were joined by Young as well as Danilo Gallinari, Kevin Huerter, and Lou Williams in the 101-87 defeat on Christmas. And Bogdan Bogdanovic missed the most recent matchup, a 117-108 loss, along with Clint Capela.
John Collins will miss this contest, making it his sixth in a row while dealing with finger and foot injuries.
After Sunday’s loss, there was a lot of talk about mental toughness. And Nate McMillan was sure to emphasize the significance of their rocky start that included nine turnovers in the first quarter alone; five by Young which he owned up to postgame.
McMillan then spoke of starting with the same energy they finished with.
"We know we've got to do a better job of taking care of the ball." pic.twitter.com/iFzyVzLwlh
— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) March 21, 2022
The Knicks were without Derrick Rose (three games), Nerlens Noel (two games), and Kemba Walker (one game) for their wins.
Those players have been injured (Noel, Rose) and/or out of the rotation (Walker) for most of the season, though. It is hard to put the same significance on what the Knicks were truly missing as what the Hawks were dealing with that wasn’t in their control.
Still, the Knicks got what matters most and that is the wins.
The last time the Hawks were facing a regular-season sweep was to the Chicago Bulls. He went out and had a 39-point, 13-assist performance canning 7-of-9 triples scoring 16 points as part of a 40-point fourth-quarter for the Hawks to get the win. Another performance like that, as opposed to what we saw against the Pelicans, and the Hawks should come away victorious.
They need i even with their current five-game lead over the Knicks. Atlanta still has home games against the Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets as well as road dates against the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat.
Seven of their 11 remaining games are on the road, including Tuesday’s contest, where they are 12-22 this season,