Atlanta, GA
Inside Tori's Notebook: The consistency conundrum of the 2024 Atlanta Falcons
I’M TRYING HERE — OK. I have to be honest with you. I didn’t want to write this week’s notebook. There was no part of the Falcons’ loss to the Vikings that I wanted to touch with a 10-foot pole. Call me the Grinch, but that’s how I felt.
I’m just… tired, and I guess I expected too much. Whatever the case may be, I sit here on Monday afternoon struggling to string words together just as the Falcons have struggled to string wins together.
It just feels as though every time one aspect of the Falcons’ game improves or plays well (the pass rush or run game Sunday afternoon, for example), another part of the game breaks down (the secondary’s performance, turnover margin and penalties). It’s a toss up weekly. And I’m having a difficult time finding consistency in any one aspect of the Falcons’ game or identity.
Back when this team held a 6-3 record and was 4-0 in the division, I thought their identity was that they just found ways to win. It wasn’t pretty at times, but they did enough when crunch time arrived to make the plays count. After dropping each of their last four games, I don’t feel that way any longer.
This feeling left me searching for anything even remotely related to consistency with this team. I started to write about Bijan Robinson. I started to write about Darnell Mooney and Drake London. All three continue to show up for Atlanta, but we’ve talked about them ad nauseam, right?
So, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to write about someone who wasn’t making headlines nationally the way Robinson, London or even Mooney has. Thinking back to the game Sunday — and after a conversation with Will McFadden — I eventually landed on writing about A.J. Terrell, who despite the secondary’s showing against the Vikings, was playing at a clip we should be talking about.
But even then, after watching every single Vikings pass play on the all-22 tape, I couldn’t (in good conscience) praise one player when the secondary, as a whole, gave up 347 yards on 22 completions and five touchdowns to Sam Darnold. Sure, Terrell was lined up against Justin Jefferson on 18 of his 32 routes (56.3%). And yes, he only gave up one reception for 7 yards as the nearest defender in coverage. But to ignore the crux of the game being that the secondary allowed Darnold to record a career-high 163 passing yards on passes beyond 20 air yards, well, that just felt wrong.
What everyone will remember from the game is the coverage on the 49-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Addison in the first quarter or the breakdown on the 52-yard touchdown pass to Jefferson in the third. It won’t be that Terrell had a solid outing against him. Is that fair? Up for debate.
I write all of this to ultimately say I am at a loss for what to write about.
The irony, right? A writer without words to pen.
But I guess that’s kind of the point I am trying to make about this team at this juncture in the season. I’ve written so many words about it. I have praised this roster. I’ve spurred hope for it. I’ve been critical of it when I needed to be. But right now? I don’t have much to say, because until they piece this thing together, there really isn’t much to harp on without feeling as though I am twisting the knife when I am critical or carrying water if I am overly positive.
I could write all day long about the impact of Robinson, the emergence of Mooney, the solid nature of London or the shutdown outings of Terrell, or I could go the other way. I could write about the red-zone problems, the one-too-many turnovers or the drive-shifting penalties. But honestly? What matters to you — Dear Reader — are the wins. And right now? I can’t write about the wins because the Falcons have fallen below .500. Nothing I write here matters except that.
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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