Atlanta, GA
Hawks vs Celtics: Jayson Tatum’s Status Revealed For Tonight’s Game vs Atlanta
The Atlanta Hawks and the Boston Celtics are about to face each other for the second time this season, but this time it is a game that counts towards the 2024 NBA Cup. One of the big question marks coming into this game was the status of Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum, who was questionable. The Celtics just revealed Tatum’s status and he is available to play, as is Al Horford.
Celtics Injury Report Update vs. Atlanta (11/12):
Al Horford – AVAILABLE — Kevin Chouinard (@KLChouinard) November 12, 2024
Kristaps Porzingis – Left Posterior Tibialis Tendon Surgery Rehabilitation – OUT
Jaden Springer – Left Knee Tendinopathy – OUT
Jayson Tatum – AVAILABLE
Our own Rohan Raman gave a preview for the game tonight:
“Coming into tonight’s game, the Hawks are 9th in the NBA in PPG, 16th in FG%, 17th in 3PA, 17th in 3P%, 5th in FTA, 21st in rebounding, and 20th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 14th in points per 100 possessions, 14th in effective field goal percentage, 19th in turnover percentage, 19th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 6th in free throw rate.
Atlanta is 28th in PPG allowed, 21st in field goal percentage allowed, 30th in 3PA allowed, and 30th in 3P% allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 27th in points allowed per 100 possessions, and 27th in effective field goal percentage allowed.
Although their games have been decided by a much narrower margin as of late, the Celtics have the second-best record in the NBA for a reason. They are 5th in points per game, 6th in field goal percentage, 1st in three point attempts, 11th in three point percentage, 13th in free throw attempts, 21st in rebounds, and 20th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Celtics are 1st in points per 100 possessions, 4th in effective field goal percentage, 1st in turnover percentage, 19th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 9th in free throw rate.
Defensively, Boston is 8th in PPG allowed, 12th in field goal percentage allowed, 13th in three point attempts allowed, and 7th in three point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Celtics are 9th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 10th in effective field goal percentage allowed.
Given that Atlanta is down both Young and backup point guard Kobe Bufkin, Keaton Wallace now becomes a prime candidate to start at point guard for the Hawks. Atlanta simply cannot expect much from him as a scorer given that he will be matching up with the combo of Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. It will be critical for Wallace to make good decisions as a passer and find Johnson/Risacher when open so that they can hit the three-pointers necessary to keep the Hawks in the game.
Speaking of Risacher, this is arguably the biggest role he has had to-date in his young NBA career. He will be relied on as a secondary offensive creator and will need to be aggressive going to the rim. Assuming that the Celtics sit Horford, it should be easier for Risacher to get to the rim and make his impact felt inside. He is currently shooting 54.5% at the rim, so the numbers have room to improve in that area. For tonight, Risacher needs to make quick decisions and limit turnovers so that the Hawks do not decrease their own margin for error. It will be a good challenge for the young wing.
One possible bright spot for the Hawks is their center play against Boston. Onyeka Okongwu was excellent in the last meeting of these two teams, scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 boards. He has looked better this season as a scorer. This season, he is shooting a career-best 84% from the charity strip on a career-high number of attempts per night (5.7) and he’s converting on 74.4% of his shots at the rim (up from 74% last season). He is also drawing fouls at a higher rate when he is on offense, which indicates a heightened level of aggression as a scorer. His defense hasn’t stood out quite as much, but the potential for him to be the athletic defensive piece that he was in 2022-23 is still there.
Dyson Daniels will also need to make an impact on offense in this matchup. He is averaging a career-high four attempts from deep and has more than doubled his overall amount of attempts from 5.1 to 12.1. That’s a function of his role as a starter and he seems to have taken to the role. However, his overall shot has not been as consistent. Despite some games where the shot falls for him, he is shooting a paltry 27.8% from deep on the year. This has to be a good scoring game for Daniels if the Hawks have any chance of remaining in this one. On defense, there is little to be concerned about. He is averaging a career-high 3.3 steals per game and serves as the best perimeter defender for the Hawks. I think sticking Daniels on White as the primary defender might be a smart call, especially if Tatum is out.
Ultimately, I wouldn’t be surprised if the the Celtics give Tatum and Horford the night off, but they have not been ruled out yet. This article will be updated should that happen.”
Atlanta Hawks (46-36, sixth in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (53-29, third in the Eastern Conference)
New York; Monday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Knicks -5.5; over/under is 216.5
EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Knicks lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks host the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference first round with a 1-0 lead in the series. The Knicks won the last matchup 113-102 on Saturday, led by 28 points from Jalen Brunson. CJ McCollum led the Hawks with 26.
The Knicks are 35-17 in Eastern Conference games. New York has a 9-4 record in one-possession games.
The Hawks are 27-25 in Eastern Conference play. Atlanta is third in the league scoring 18.1 fast break points per game. McCollum leads the Hawks averaging 5.0.
The Knicks are shooting 47.8% from the field this season, 0.4 percentage points higher than the 47.4% the Hawks allow to opponents. The Hawks are shooting 47.4% from the field, 1.4% higher than the 46.0% the Knicks’ opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds for the Knicks. Brunson is averaging 19.9 points over the last 10 games.
Dyson Daniels is scoring 11.9 points per game and averaging 6.8 rebounds for the Hawks. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is averaging 21.3 points and 2.9 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 6-4, averaging 110.4 points, 40.7 rebounds, 26.2 assists, 8.4 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 49.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.9 points per game.
Hawks: 5-5, averaging 117.2 points, 43.5 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 8.4 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.0 points.
INJURIES: Knicks: Tyler Kolek: day to day (oblique), Mitchell Robinson: day to day (ankle), Karl-Anthony Towns: day to day (elbow).
Hawks: Jock Landale: out (ankle).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks prediction, pick for Game 1 of 2026 NBA Playoffs first round
Sean Barnard details his preview and prediction for Saturday’s Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks matchup in the NBA Playoffs.
The NBA playoffs are officially underway with a loaded opening round. Taking place in the No. 3 vs. No. 6 matchup in the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks will take on the New York Knicks.
You can check out the full series preview on DraftKings Network here.
Looking at the odds for the series opener, the Knicks enter as 6.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Hawks are +205 underdogs with the game total set at O/U 218.5 points.
This article will look at a preview and prediction for the Eastern Conference series opener.
Hawks vs. Knicks prediction, preview
The Atlanta Hawks went through a midseason transition, moving on from Trae Young after he headlined the production for the franchise for the past eight years. The Hawks have not missed a beat amid the major midseason shakeup, finishing as the sixth seed in the conference with a 46-36 overall record. On the season, Atlanta has gone 44-38 against the spread, and the game total has gone 41-41 to the over/under.
Jock Landale is the only player set to miss the matchup tonight. Jalen Johnson headlines the production, posting averages of 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game. Nickeil Alexander-Walker has had a breakout season in a new location, adding 20.8 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game. CJ McCollum adds 18.7 points and 4.1 assists across his first 41 games with the organization, while Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu, Jonathan Kuminga, and Zaccharie Risacher also play notable roles.
Quin Snyder’s group scores 118.5 points per game, which ranks sixth in the NBA. The Hawks also rank 14th in offensive rating, 13th in field goal percentage, and fifth in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 116.0 points per game against Atlanta, which ranks 18th in the league. They also rank ninth in defensive rating, 18th in opponent field goal percentage, and 12th in opponent three-point percentage.
The New York Knicks entered the season with legitimate title aspirations. They have had some notable ups and downs, but now face this opportunity. New York finished the regular season with a 53-29 record and sit in third place in the East. The Knicks have gone 44-39 against the spread, and the game total has gone 38-45 to the over/under.
The Knicks enter this matchup with a clear injury report and a large sample size of the team playing together. Jalen Brunson headlines the production with 26.0 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds, while Karl-Anthony Towns pitches in 20.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists of his own. OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges are responsible for the production at the wing positions, while Josh Hart sets the tone for this team from a hustle standpoint. New York also did an impressive job building out the bench unit this season, with players like Jordan Clarkson, Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet, and Tyler Kolek capable of serving as X-factors off the bench.
As a team, the Knicks are scoring 116.5 points per game, which ranks 10th in the NBA. New York also ranks third in offense rating, 11th in field goal percentage, and fourth in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 110.1 points per game against the Knicks, which ranks fifth in the league. They also rank seventh in defensive rating, fifth in opponent field goal percentage, and 20th in opponent three-point percentage.
Hawks vs. Knicks pick, best bet
These are two teams at different stages of their timeline, but neither will be afraid of this playoff spotlight. The Knicks pushed their chips in around this core and are hoping to be rewarded for it. They fell to the Indiana Pacers in the Conference Finals last year and have made the postseason in four consecutive seasons. Atlanta missed out on the playoffs in back-to-back years and turned a new page direction with Jalen Johnson now leading the charge. Without Trae Young, the Hawks now lean on more of a defensive-minded identity and have a roster loaded with athleticism.
During the regular season, these teams faced off three times. They split the first two matchups, which took place on December 27th and January 2nd. New York picked up a narrow 108-105 victory in the most recent game, which took place on April 6th. Both sides were aware that this was a potential postseason matchup, and this game had some major seeding implications. It was an evenly matched game in which neither team was able to extend a lead beyond 10 points, and the rebounding battle was separated by just one board. The biggest discrepancy came with the Knicks shooting 50% compared to the Hawks shooting 40%, and New York outscoring Atlanta 52-34 in the paint.
While there are higher expectations for this Knicks team in the postseason outlook, the Hawks stack up fairly well in this matchup. Jalen Brunson will be at the heart of the offensive attack for New York. But his biggest weakness is when he is guarded by high-level athletes with a size advantage over him. The Hawks have built out a roster loaded with this archetype of player, and there is not a clear matchup for Brunson to hunt in most lineup combinations.
Brunson has enough experience and savvy to will settle in over the course of the series. But expect some growing pains in the early parts of this matchup, and for this to be a huge hurdle for this Knicks team. I am backing the Hawks to cover the 5.5-point spread and would not be shocked if they steal the opening game. This is a series in which neither side should be expected to pull away by major margins throughout. Count on Atlanta to have defense success and have a clear gameplan for limiting the impact of Brunson. Expect this matchup to come down to the wire and take the points in the series opener.
Best Bet: Hawks +6.5 (-112)
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