Atlanta, GA
What has gone wrong with the Atlanta Dream?
The Atlanta Dream have had an all around unfortunate and largely disappointing season. It’s hard to sugarcoat the ugly reality of how the past couple of months have gone — a span in which the Dream are 7-17 and are currently on the outside looking in with regards to the playoffs.
The bottom four teams in the 12-team WNBA do get the benefit of a weighted lottery draw at the number one pick in 2025 draft. However, as a result of the 2023 Allisha Gray trade with the Wings, the Dream owe Dallas their unprotected first-round pick next summer.
Of course, Gray has become a two-time All-Star, so that’s not to say the team would like a do over there, but there won’t be any significant ‘golden parachute’ for missing the playoffs this time around.
For a season when hype has surrounded both the team and the league as a whole, the play of the hometown team may have begun to turn off onlookers to the women’s game in Atlanta. It’s clear the entire organization is committed to winning now and in the future, and their record isn’t a reflection of that lack of commitment, but there may only be 16 games left to prove that to the fans in 2024.
There are two very obvious reasons for the lackluster play of the hometown team, and they go hand in hand in some respect: the injuries and the offense.
Injuries
This one is pretty straightforward: the Dream have been struck by the injury bug. Bad. Arguably two of their three most important offensive players have missed significant time, and the direct replacements are just unable to produce at the needed level.
Rhyne Howard is currently in Paris with Team USA Basketball helping to bring home gold as part of the 3×3 women’s Olympic team, but she suffered a fluke ankle injury on June 19 in a game against the Minnesota Lynx, and due to this she missed a crucial 10-game stretch — a stretch in which the team went 1-9.
Howard’s importance to the team hardly can’t be overstated: she was named an All-Star in her first two seasons in the league, is the offensive focal point, and is the one who has the ball in her hands when the clock runs down. Her combination of scoring (15.4 points per game) and passing (3.4 assists per game) in her overall creation package is rare for a big guard, and that absence was felt as the Dream sagged to a 1-11 close to the pre-All-Star Break/Olympic portion of the season.
Jordin Canada, the nominal starting point guard, has only play four of a possible 24 games before the break mostly due to a right hand injury suffered in the offseason. In the four games she suited up — all without Howard — she was able to zip the ball around and juice the offense up to the needed standard.
She likes to take a backseat scoring the ball (8.8 points per game) in exchange for ball distribution (6.0 assists per game, a mark that would rank sixth in the league if she qualified). Canada can operate in open space or in tight spaces, and is equally sharp at running a pick-and-roll or finding players cross-court popping open for three.
Here’s an ad hoc pick-and-roll where Canada draws a second defender and dumps it off for an easy score.
Canada can push the pace if necessary and find teammates on the break like below.
And one more example, this one threading the needle to create an easy shot for Haley Jones.
Unfortunately, just as she was getting back into the rhythm of basketball, the point guard suffered a broken finger in a game against the New York Liberty on June 30 and missed the final six games before the break. In Canada’s absence has been a mix of Haley Jones, Crystal Dangerfield and Destanni Henderson, but none of them provide the dribble penetration or court vision Canada brings to the table.
In total, the Dream have yet to have all of Howard, Canada, and Allisha Gray on the court for a single minute through the first 24 games of the season — and that clearly is not a recipe for success.
Offense
The performance of the offense can’t be completely separated from the many issues on the injury front. But as it stands now, the offense is sitting in 12th place, making that the side of the ball the singularly glaring reason for the poor record so far. Their 96.2 offensive rating is the same distance from 11th place (the Chicago Sky at 99.8) as the Sky are to the sixth place Indiana Fever (103.4).
In a similar vein, the team has the worst effective field goal percentage (eFG%) in the league at a brutal 45.1, more than four percentage points than even league average. The only team in their vicinity is the Chicago Sky, who have the benefit of Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso to rebound a significant portion of their team’s own misses.
So yeah, it’s been bad.
The shotmaking, and especially so in the three-point shooting, has been a clear issue.
The Dream are shooting a league-worst 24% from the corner — the shortest three-point shot and one that’s almost always an easier catch-and-shoot attempt — despite attempting the third-highest rate of their threes from there (22% of three-point attempts).
Overall, they take the second-fewest shots in the league from three as a percentage of their field goal attempts. Instead, their shot diet is very heavy on inefficient mid-range shots — by far taking the most in the WNBA from 10-feet out the the three-point line. This accounts for 27% of their attempts, a rate even higher when in the halfcourt offense.
Coach Tanisha Wright has the team set up to run a motion offense, where most of the separation comes from running around screens off-ball (usually set by bigs at the elbow or in the paint). A staple set is to run a ‘floppy action’ with two perimeter players finding space to curl into an elbow touch. This means having two bigs who can set screens in the paint is key for the guards and wings find space to receive the ball.
But while Tina Charles has made a strong return from a season away from the game, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus has unfortunately been unable to reprise her All-Star season from a year ago.
This, in part, prompted Wright to move Parker-Tyus to the bench for Nia Coffey after attempting to start ‘CPT’ with Charles in a double big lineup to begin the season. But the lack of spacing — as well as a lack in defensive range — quickly seemed destined to fail.
These kinds of possessions happened too often in the first half of the season: Haley Jones drives in transition with Tina Charles trailing in filling the lane as well. Parker-Tyus, just a 26% three-point shooter, is caught between getting to her reliable spot in the post and spacing the floor, and so she puts up an early long two.
Most of Atlanta’s bigs have flashed touch from long range, but often from a step or two inside the three-point arc. Parker-Tyus, Charles, Naz Hillmon have all shown consistency in spotting up for long twos, but in today’s game of basketball, that extra point behind the line is key.
And certainly that trio of bigs is comfortable scoring from the post. But having a post up-heavy offense with two starting-caliber bigs that aren’t super comfortable passing out of double teams (without even mentioning the lack of spacing around them) has hampered the offense in a major way — as I outlined above.
This is a tough attempt from Charles, the queen of tough attempts throughout the season. DeWanna Bonner help pushes Charles into a baseline fadeway over the concrete base of Alyssa Thomas.
So to recap, the motion offense by design has produced a lot of spot up attempts from long two. And the offense is being ran without the projected starter at point guard for the vast majority of the season. And the spacing from the usual benefit of the corner three has completely abandoned the team.
All of these things and more have added up to an anemic offense thus far.
With the hopeful return of healthy players after the break, and a little more urgency in firing threes after the promotion of 3-and-D specialist Nia Coffey to the starting lineup — as the return of sharpshooting guard Maya Caldwell — there’s hope the Dream can put up more points in the games ahead. But the team remains behind the 8-ball in terms of making the playoffs, three games back of the Sky for eighth place.
They have 16 games left to play in 2024. The question is now: can they salvage what’s left of the season?
*all stats per Basketball-Reference
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)
Atlanta child hunger rates rising
The Atlanta Community Food Bank is launching a retail fundraiser to combat a 70% surge in local food insecurity caused by rising inflation.
ATLANTA – One in six children in Atlanta will go hungry tonight, according to data from the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
The organization, which provides food for nearly 300,000 households every month, reports that the need for assistance in the community is both significant and expanding. Greg Sims, a representative of the Atlanta Community Food Bank, said the pantry network has experienced a 70% increase in visitors over the last four years.
What they’re saying:
“Neighbors, kids, seniors, hard-working adults that are struggling to make ends meet and afford enough food,” Sims said. “We have seen 70 percent increase in neighbors visiting our pantry network over the last four years.”
Rising costs have forced many local families to make difficult financial trade-offs. Sims noted that inflation has played a major role in the growing demand for food assistance, as families often prioritize fixed costs over their grocery budgets.
“It’s easiest in budget to cut food you can’t cut utilities you can’t cut your rent, so what gets left off is food,” Sims said. “Parents may go skip meals so kids can eat that often-common coping.”
Local perspective:
To combat these rising numbers, the food bank is participating in the annual “Fight Hunger, Spark Change” campaign through May 3. The initiative raises funds when customers round up their totals or purchase specific products at Walmart or Sam’s Club locations. Officials confirmed that every dollar donated through the program stays within the local community.
“Last year’s campaign generated almost 400K to support our work, which in the end, abled us to provide more than a million meals to our community,” Sims said.
The Atlanta Community Food Bank currently partners with approximately 700 food pantries throughout the state to distribute resources. Sims emphasized that food insecurity can affect anyone, regardless of their circumstances or appearance.
“Folks all different backgrounds are dealing with food insecurity, and you may not know it looking at a person standing next to you in the shopping aisle,” Sims said. “We are here for you, and we have resources available to you.”
By the numbers:
- 1 in 6: The number of children in Atlanta who will go hungry tonight.
- 300,000: Households served by the food bank every month.
- 70%: The increase in pantry visitors over the last four years.
- 700: The number of food pantries throughout the state that partner with the food bank.
- $400,000: The amount generated by last year’s campaign to provide millions of meals.
What you can do:
The organization added that it is also in constant need of volunteers to support its daily operations. Learn more at https://www.acfb.org/
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Atlanta Community Food Bank, which provided data on local hunger rates and campaign details, as well as Greg Sims, a representative for the organization who spoke about the impact of inflation on Georgia families.
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