On Sunday, the Atlanta Hawks play the New York Knicks for the fourth and final time this season. Can they win the season series?
The Atlanta Hawks have shown a tendency to suffer blowout losses this season. That was certainly true on Friday night. The Washington Wizards came into Phillips Arena and dominated the Hawks, winning the game 112-86.
The Hawks couldn’t get their offense going and Washington’s offense couldn’t be slowed down. It was another in a long line of blowout losses this season. The good news is that lately the Hawks have been following up blowout losses by winning the very next game.
Hawks fans hope that is true today, as Atlanta travels to the Big Apple to take on the New York Knicks for the fourth time this season. That’s right, it’s not even February and the Hawks will have played the Knicks four times this season by the end of today. Three of those contests will have come since Dec. 28. I would imagine these teams are sick of seeing each other.
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Their first match-up of the season came on Nov. 20 with the Knicks coming away with the win. The Hawks have won the last two meetings, with both games going down to the wire. Their most recent contest came on Martin Luther King Day.
Dennis Schroder knocked down a three-pointer in the waning seconds to give the Hawks a 108-107 lead.
On the ensuing New York possession, the Knicks had three chances to win the game.
Each attempt fell short and the Hawks left town with a narrow win. Paul Millsap’s last second block of Derrick Rose at the rim is the lasting image from that victory.
That game was a back and forth battle. Carmelo Anthony shined for the Knicks, scoring 30 points on an efficient 10-for-16 shooting. Schroder led the way for Atlanta, shooting 13-for-16 from the floor and scoring 28 points.
The Hawks will have their hands full with Melo again. At this point in his career he’s a flawed player, but the guy can still score. The way he plays “bully-ball” inside the three-point arc is difficult to stop in crunch time. I like to call him “Mid-range Melo”.
After being relegated to a bench role a few weeks ago, Courtney Lee has played well lately for New York. Lee scored 16 points and had a huge fourth quarter in a recent win against the Charlotte Hornets. Atlanta will have to be wary of his three-point shooting.
Then there’s Kristaps Porzingis. Basketball’s finest unicorn. The Hawks don’t really have anyone that matches up well with Porzingis, though most team’s in the NBA would probably say that.
Things haven’t gone well for the Knicks this season. They have an aging roster that can’t seem to stay healthy. Derrick Rose left the team without telling anyone a few weeks ago, creating some needless drama. Now Phil Jackson seems intent on trading Carmelo Anthony, but he can’t seem to find a team that wants him. Oh yeah, Melo also has a no-trade clause. Fun times in NYC!
Still, they’re not all the way out of the playoff race. There’s still some life in those bones, as they showed Friday night in their gritty win over the Charlotte Hornets. The Knicks have a 21-27 record. They’re two games back of the aforementioned Hornets for the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference.
As evidenced by earlier meetings, this will not be an easy game for the Hawks. The Knicks might be dysfunctional, but on their best night they can hang with Atlanta. It’s important that the Hawks win this game so they can secure the season tie-breaker.
A late season swoon by the Hawks or a late season surge by the Knicks could see them battling for playoff position in April. I think the Hawks bounce back from their blowout loss to the Wizards by defeating the Knicks in a tightly contested game.
Who: Atlanta Hawks (27-20) @ New York Knicks (21-27)
When: 3:00 PM EST, Sunday, January 29th, 2017
Where: Madison Square Garden
How: Fox Sports Southeast
Prediction: Hawks 97 Knicks 94
