There will be no changes for the Atlanta Hawks starting lineup tonight.
As star point guard Trae Young misses his third straight game with a right quad contusion, Nickeil Alexander-Walker is going to get another start as the Hawks lead guard.
Here is the rest of the starters for the Hawks tonight against the New York Knicks:
G- Nickeil Alexander-Walker
G- Dyson Daniels
F- Zaccharie Risacher
F- Jalen Johnson
C- Onyeka Okongwu
Who wins?
The Hawks are coming off a solid performance against Minnesota and will need a good offensive performance today vs New York.
They are 9th in points, 7th in FG%, 5th in 3P%, 17th in FT%, 25th in rebounds (26th in OREB, 21st in DREB), 1st in assists, and 17th in turnovers per game. They’re 13th in offensive rating this year.
The Hawks defense was a disaster over the past month, but they were able to put up perhaps their best performance of the season against Minnesota on Wednesday.
The Hawks’ defense ranks 25th in points allowed, 23rd in FG% allowed, 18th in 3P% allowed, 25th in rebounds allowed, 5th in steals, and 17th in blocks. They’re 17th in defensive rating this year.
The Knicks have an elite offense and that is why many think they can make a run at the NBA Finals.
They are 3rd in points, 9th in FG%, 4th in 3P%, 9th in FT%, 5th in rebounds (4th in OREB and 14th in DREB), 10th in assists, and 4th in turnovers. They are 3rd in offensive rating.
The biggest reason Atlanta might win this game is that the Hawks might be fully healthy or at least close to it. Kristaps Porzingis came back after missing multiple weeks and he made quite a difference vs Minnesota. Now, the Hawks’ defense made huge strides in that game and there are a lot of other reasons for Atlanta looking impressive, but Porzingis and his versatility, and what it allows the Hawks to do with its lineups.
The Knicks might be missing a big contributor tonight as well. Center Mitchell Robinson is questionable tonight and he had nine rebounds in the first matchup against the Hawks. New York was able to have a big advantage on the board against the Hawks in the first game, but if Robinson is out tonight, the Hawks will have a more favorable matchup with both Porzingis and Onyeka Okongwu available to play.
New York is 21st in three point percentage allowed, and the Hawks are 5th in three-point percentage. Atlanta shot 40% from three in their first matchup against the Knicks, including a 6-10 mark from Okongwu, and if the Hawks can have another hot shooting night, they have the ability to get the road win. This is another area where Porzingis is going to help.
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