Two entertaining Eastern Conference squads are set to face off on Wednesday,as the New York Knicks welcome the Atlanta Hawks to town. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET inside Madison Square Garden.
The Hawks have the better overall record at 13-11 but are coming off a 121-114 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Knicks (11-13) are a slight favorite and enter this matchup fresh off a 92-81 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Be sure to check the OddsShopper tool for the best NBA odds ahead of tonight’s action.
NBA Odds: Hawks-Knicks Odds
Trouble in Atlanta?
There seems to be trouble in Atlanta at this stage of the season. Star point guard Trae Young was not present for Friday’s game with the Denver Nuggets, in which the Hawks secured a 117-109 home win.
Shams Charania and Sam Amick of the Athletic later reported Young’s absence was due to a disagreement between him and coach Nate McMillan. McMillan reportedly was not on board with Young’s plan to skip shootaround to focus on treatment for his right shoulder, so he gave his star player the option to come off the bench or not show up to the arena that night. Young ended up not playing and eventually was asked about it during a media scrum on Monday.
Hawks guard @TheTraeYoung this morning… answering all the question about missing Friday’s game and his displeasure with private conversations being made public – worth a listen pic.twitter.com/DjBsgpljiX
— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) December 5, 2022
Young was back in action on Monday, finishing with 23 points on 31.6% shooting to go along with 10 assists and three rebounds. But will this story continue to impact Young’s performance against New York? Young has averaged 27.9 points and 9.2 assists per game in 14 career meetings against the Knicks.
How Will New York’s Defense Respond?
Assuming everybody has made amends in Atlanta, at least for a moment, New York’s defense will certainly have its hands full trying to slow down a backcourt combination of Young and Dejounte Murray.
Fortunately for the Knicks, they hang their hats on the defensive end of the floor. Tom Thibodeau’s squad is allowing teams to shoot 45.1% from the floor, a mark that ranks third in the NBA. New York doesn’t concede much inside, ranking inside the top five in points allowed in the paint and eighth with a defensive 2-point percentage of 52%.
While the defensive effort has been there, Thibodeau has started tinkering with the lineup in an attempt to produce more results. He opted to go with a nine-man rotation in Sunday’s win over the Cavaliers, which left Cam Reddish and Derrick Rose on the bench. It will be interesting to see if those personnel decisions remain the same in tonight’s matchup against the Hawks.
Final Hawks-Knicks Prediction & Pick
Neither team has had much success against the spread this season. The Hawks are just 10-14 against the spread, while the Knicks are 10-12-2. The over has hit a combined 25 times between these two teams, which probably explains why the total is sitting at 232.
Projections are in line with the spread, giving the nod to the Knicks with a 117-115 projected victory. But the model isn’t giving much credence to the context around this game regarding both Young’s situation and New York’s recent lineup adjustments.
That context is important here, especially when trying to settle on a pick. Young has had success in New York, but everything seems a bit different this time. And that might very well prove to be the difference for the Knicks at home.
Best Hawks-Knicks Prediction: Knicks Moneyline (-120) at FanDuel
