(Un)Official Game Thread: Knicks at Hawks

[lethalweapon3]

"He's more like. 'uni-CORNY', amirite?"

 

Phew, this shopping-day traffic is a trip! I'll try to be back in time for the game, but not in time for a full-blown pregame thread, as our Atlanta Hawks try to make today a Bleak Friday for Tim Hardaway, Jr. and his New York Knicks (7:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, MSG Network in NYC).

The Knicks are back to smelling themselves a bit, checking in at 10-7 and in the thick of the race to return to the playoffs for the first time since coach Mike Woodson ran the show back in 2013. But they haven't really had a chance to take their show on the road, having played just five away games (every other NBA team has played at least seven to this point) and going just 1-4 in those contests.

Hardaway scored 34 points, and Kristaps Porzingis 32, in their sole road win to date over Cleveland nearly a month ago. Jeff Hornacek's troopers have to show up for a game against CP3 and Harden in red-hot Houston tomorrow night, so this is one win they certainly want under their cap.

At MSG, New York used a 28-0 third-quarter run to blitz past the Hawks' Saturday night visitors, Toronto, in the second half of Wednesday's 108-100 win. Shaking off the early-season rust that made him a easy target of the New York tabloid media, Hardaway returns to the ATL after scoring a career-high 38 points during Wednesday's game.

The Hawks (3-15) floundered offensively in the second-half on Wednesday, allowing the Clippers to escape The Highlight Factory with a 116-103 victory. To avoid a fourth-consecutive defeat in front of what is likely to be another Knicks-friendly Philips Arena crowd, coach Mike Budenholzer's bunch must hit outside shots, particularly the bench (2-for-12 3FGs vs. LAC).

The starters won't get any help today from Luke Babbitt (43.3 3FG%), who also missed the Clippers game and all but seven minutes of Monday's Spurs game due to nagging back problems. With super-rook John Collins starting in Babbitt's place, Coach Bud will hope to get a little more usage and effectiveness out of Ersan Ilyasova, who has been brought along slowly while recovering from a bone bruise.

The Hawks cannot simply hope the Knicks will be trippin' off the tryptophan tonight. Dennis Schröder (career-low 7.1 D-Reb%) and Atlanta's swingmen must mix it up inside to help the NBA's least-effective defensive rebounding team (74.0 D-Reb%, lowest in NBA) seal off Enes Kanter (5.3 O-Rebs per-36, 6th in NBA), Porzingis, Kyle O'Quinn and the league's most proficient offensive rebounding team (27.8 O-Reb%).

If they do limit New York to one-and-done possessions, the Hawks should be capable of creating plenty of quick transition scoring opportunities against a Knicks starting backcourt guided by Hardaway and Jarrett Jack, Jack, a 34-year-old former Yellow Jacket who is holding the fort for apprenticing rookie Frank Ntilikina, is excited to be playing his most significant minutes in the NBA since getting shelved with knee injuries in January 2016.

Let's Go Hawks!

~lw3

[hazer]

Oh my, J-Baps vs Porzinger!

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Ersan is garbage now.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

LOL @ Baze . . . don't start man.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Bembry can't buy a shot around the rim.  Gotta finish those dude.

[DBac]

Dewayne Dedmon's evolution this year has been mindblowing.

 

I like the attitude he brings too.

Edited November 25, 2017 by DBac

[Lurker]

Tim Hardaway Jr: 8-16/3-9 and a cool as a cucumber....-15

(We're still good, Timmy)

[Jody23]

17 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Bembry can't buy a shot around the rim.  Gotta finish those dude.

When a few of these guys get stronger, they'll start to finish around the rim better.  Nice effort by the guys tonight.

Edited November 25, 2017 by Jody23

[TheNorthCydeRises]

3 minutes ago, DBac said:

Dewayne Dedmon's evolution this year has been mindblowing.

 

I like the attitude he brings too.

He played a very good all around game.  Very tough defense vs KP in the 2nd half.  As much as people loved Zaza, he's twice as good as he was.  That's the type of center we needed back in the Joe Johnson days, to play alongside Horford and Smith.

[benhillboy]

13 offensive boards and 30 assists.  This may be the best tanking team I’ve ever seen.  Defense bad, offense pretty good.  The space forced by the great three point shooting is apparent leading to better passing lanes and paint scoring than a team of this talent level should have.

How many ways does Delaney have to show its time to move on?  The team just played cleaner with him DNP-ed.  No way they have a 29 point turnaround with dude even if he’s been off the ball lately.  The possibility for a positive effect is considerably higher for Magette (+7).

With each game Deadman and Belli boost their value which sucks because I enjoy watching them.

Dennis bounced back like a G after a disappointing last game.  

Maybe Baze is a pretty good passer for a 2 and his feel in the PNR isn’t terrible.  I guess.  Could be wrong.

How is NY 10-7?  A long losing streak is in their near future.  The coaching gap tonight was tangible.

Competitve Tank, Move Out.

Edited November 25, 2017 by benhillboy

[hazer]

Keep him. Now we got Menace, Printz, J-Bap, Deadmon walking, and draft Donkey Chic. Bundle picks and pick up Porter too if he slips downstream doe to injury.

BTW, nice win. Now 3-step back it. Ease up for Donkey.

[Thomas]

Forty eight minutes of point guard play by actual point guards, a novel concept. Apparently a winning one too. Good game and hustle all around by us tonight.

[High5]

That was some familiar defense. Give up 39 in the first quarter and then 37 in the second half.