Bring your appetites, Knicks fans! Today, Tyler Kolek, proprietor of a newly opened barbecued chicken truck on the Vegas strip, squares off against some southern poultry when the New York (2-2) takes on the Atlanta Hawks (0-4). In their last games of Summer League basketball, both teams will be playing the second of a back-to-back.

The Knicks come into this game on a two-game winning streak, with both contests decided by a single point. Yesterday, against Detroit, New York went up by 20 points in the second half before squandering almost all of their lead. Tyler Kolek secured the previous win (against Sacramento) with end-of-game And-1, and he locked up yesterday’s win with two free throws and two last-minute hoops.

Other standouts yesterday included reserve center Dmytro Skapinstev, who led the Knicks with a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds; and starting center, Ariel Hukporti, who tallied up 11 points, eight rebounds, and a block.

The Hawks, on the other hand, have been struggling mess on the sizzling streets of Vegas. They showed some offensive promise in their last game against the Chicago Bulls, scoring 109 points, but nonetheless lost 113-109. Keaton Wallace (who sounds like a 40’s movie star) had a strong performance for Atlanta in defeat. He totaled 22 points, seven assists, and three rebounds, while Dylan Windler contributed 17 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.

The Knicks haven’t been dominant in the Summer League (at least, not consistently so), and the Hawks are capable of running up the score. Today’s match should be a good defensive test for Kolek, Rokas Jokubaitis, and the crew. The game could come down to which team is most ready to go home. . . . and it won’t be New York! Prediction: Duane Washington, Jr. piles on another 20, Skapinstev rocks and blocks, and Kolek cooks the birds to a tune of +5.

Game Details

Who: New York Knicks (2-2) vs Atlanta Hawks (0-4)
When: Sunday, July 20, 2024, at 6 PM ET
Where: The Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada
Watch: ESPN
Follow: @ptknicksblog

The Atlanta Braves announced Friday that outfielder Ramón Laureano was reinstated from the injured list.

Laureano had been on the injured list since July 10 due to an oblique injury.

30-year-old Laureano joined the Braves in May on a minor league contract. He has since appeared in 11 big league games, logging nine hits to accompany his .257 average.

More Braves News:

Heavy rain in Atlanta forced the postponement of Friday night’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals. It is scheduled to be made up today in the form of a doubleheader.

The Braves signed first round pick Cam Caminiti. The LSU commit joins the Braves on a $3.5M bonus.

It was another slow day on the farm with just two affiliates in action. More in the minor league recap.

Brian Snitker has nearly 700 career wins, and perseverance is the best way to describe it.

The latest episode of Battery Power TV previews the second half, recaps the draft class, and more.

David O’Brien of the Athletic discusses Spencer Schwellenbach’s progress during his time in the big leagues.

Ian Anderson is set to make a rehab start with the Gwinnett Stripers on Saturday night.

MLB News:

The Cleveland Guardians have agreed to an $8.95M deal with first overall pick Travis Bazzana. The Oregon State alum was Cleveland’s first No. 1 pick in franchise history.

The Washington Nationals reinstated left-hander Jose A. Ferrer from the 60-day injured list. To open a spot on the active roster, the club optioned right-hander Amos Willingham. The club also signed first round pick Seaver King.

Nationals right-hander Josiah Gray will undergo UCL surgery and miss the remainder of the season. It has not been decided if the procedure will be a full Tommy John.

The Colorado Rockies officially signed third overall pick Charlie Condon on a $9.25M signing bonus. It ties Chase Burns for the largest signing bonus in MLB history.

The Los Angeles Dodgers reinstated Joe Kelly from the injured list to take the spot of lefty Jose Hernandez, who was outrighted on Thursday.

The Los Angeles Angels have signed first-rounder Christian Moore with a $4.98M signing bonus.

The Atlanta Hawks are going to be down two starters again tonight with Zaccharie Risacher and Mouhamed Gueye not suiting up. Dylan Windler and Keaton Wallace are playing tonight and in the starting lineup for the Hawks.

G- Keaton Wallace

G- Dylan Windler

F- Moses Wood

F- E.J. Liddell

C- Rob Baker

The Hawks have yet to get a win this Summer, but hoping to change that tonight.

With Durisic and Bufkin out, Keaton Wallace has taken over at point guard and there have been mixed results. The first game saw Wallace be really solid on both ends of the floor and even earn him a two-way contract. The second game vs the Spurs was not as good, but he bounced back on Wednesday night vs the Lakers, scoring 13 points and shooting 2-4 from three. Wallace is going to be one of the most intriguing players to watch on the Hawks this season from a developmental perspective.

Emmitt Matthews got the start in place of Risacher last game, but only played 14 minutes and shot the ball just once. Windler is starting there tonight.

Rob Baker will start at center again tonight for the Hawks. Baker has been solid so far in Summer League, with his best performances coming in the last two games.

Off the bench, Jarkel Joiner, Miles Norris, and Jonathan Bowden should see playing time tonight. Bowden got his first chance to play on Wednesday and it was an uneven performance. Joiner and Norris have been two of the Hawk’s best players off the bench this Summer, with Joiner having a great game on Wednesday with 27 points on 4-7 shooting from three.

Here is how you can watch tonight’s game.

Viewing and Betting Information

Tip-off time: 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: Cox Pavilion and Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV

Where to Watch: NBATV