Game Day: Knicks vs. Hawks, 4/21/21

The Knicks are hot, but facing a team that’s arguably been just as hot — the Atlanta Hawks, who are winners of nine of their last 11 and have won 75% of their games since Nate McMillan took over as head coach. Will the Knicks’ luck run out, or are eight straight wins in the cards?

I feel like I ask this every single preview lately but… how many more games in a row can the Knicks win??

Tonight might prove one of their most formidable tests on this six-game home stand, with Trae Young and the surging Hawks rolling into MSG.

The Hawks might not be on a seven-game win streak, but they have won nine of their last 11 games (including two straight against the Pacers and Magic headed into tonight), and overall have been playing way better since Nate McMillan took over for Lloyd Pierce. Since Pierce was fired on March 1, the Hawks have the sixth-best net rating in the league at +5.7, and they’re third in the league in that stretch with a .750 win percentage.

So, suffice it to say, this team is a little different than the team that the Knicks have beaten twice this season. That said, they’re not without their fair share on injuries, which I guess has just kinda been the case for them all year. Danilo Gallinari, De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish, Tony Snell, and Kris Dunn will all miss tonight’s game, and the Hawks are also on the second game of a back-to-back, just like the Knicks. Unlike the Knicks, though, the Hawks had to travel last night to get to New York, so maybe sleeping in their own beds will give the Knicks an edge.

Nothing new on the injury front for the Knicks — they’re still without Alec Burks (health and safety) and Mitchell Robinson (broken foot) for at least a little while longer. But, no offense to those guys, the Knicks have been alright without them lately.

I’m intrigued to see how the Knicks are going to handle Clint Capela. Over his last 16 games, he’s averaging 15.5 rebounds, 4.4 of which are offensive. Narrow that sample to just the last five games, and it’s 19 rebounds total, 5.6 offensive. The Knicks seem to have figured out the formula a bit lately as far as corralling rebounds, but before the win streak, that was a huge issue (in the Boston loss, for example). How Thibs manages Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson to neutralize Capela will be intriguing.

Of course, the Knicks have RJ Barrett and Julius Randle, who will probably draw two of the three weakest defensive matchups on the Hawks in Kevin Huerter and John Collins. Considering both RJ and Julius thrive on the perimeter and the midrange, that should help neutralize Capela’s effect as a rim protector a bit.

The game’s at 8 PM tonight on MSG. Come hang with us on Twitter during the game!