With just one more game to go before the All-Star break, the New York Knicks have the opportunity to improve to 36-18, which would be three more than the amount they had heading into the break just a year ago. To do so, though, they’ll have to come away with a win against a 26-28 Atlanta Hawks team coming off a five-game stretch that includes nice wins against the Pistons, Bucks, and the Magic.
The Knicks, despite the occasional outcry among the fanbase, have had a nice stretch as well, going 8-2 in their last 10 games. They’ve had some really impressive wins against the Kings, Grizzlies, Nuggets, and Rockets, three of whom are top five in the Western Conference, and their only losses have been to the Lakers, who are fourth in the West, and the Celtics, who are second in the east.
Tonight will mark the fourth of five meetings between these two teams, but the previous three games have been relatively close so far. In games one and two, the Jalen Brunson struggled against defensive standout, Dyson Daniels, shooting a combined 13-33 from the field in those contests. But the last time these two teams met, Brunson seemed to have figured some things out, exploding for 34 points on 12-18 shooting.
Tonight’s game will offer a different look from both teams, though. The Knicks will continue to be without OG Anunoby, who appeared in all three prior contests. Meanwhile, the Hawks will be without Jalen Johnson, who is set to miss the rest of the season with a torn labrum in his left shoulder, and they’ll also be without De’Andre Hunter, who was recently traded to the Cavaliers at the trade deadline. This bodes well for the Knicks, as both players have had some really big games against them.
Prediction
The Hawks are 2-1 against the Knicks this season and have beaten multiple playoff teams in the past couple of weeks, so the Hawks, given how they match up with the Knicks, could make this an interesting one. That being said, the Hawks are dealing with some injuries. Besides the aforementioned Johnson, who is a key player for them, Larry Nance Jr. is out, Vit Krejci is out, and Trae Young, who is just 7-15 against the Knicks all-time, is listed as probable. Even if Young plays, with Johnson and Hunter out, the Knicks should have enough to defeat the Hawks, even if they are missing a key player in Anunoby themselves.
It may be a bit difficult given the lack of spacing the Knicks’ starting lineup currently has, but I expect Brunson, who is coming off of maybe the worst game of his season, and Mikal Bridges, who had an equally bad game, to bounce back, while Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, and the bench trio of Deuce McBride, Cam Payne, and Landry Shamet to build off of last night’s performance.
Knicks win 115-110.
Game Details
Date: Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
TV Broadcast: MSG Network
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