The Atlanta Hawks will host a showdown against the New York Knicks at Philips Arena. Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Saturday, Dec. 26 and can be seen on FxS, MSG and C+D.
The Hawks enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Pistons 107-100 on Wednesday. Jeff Teague was the team’s leading scorer with 23 points on 10-for-19 shooting. The Knicks, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 91-84 loss against the Cavaliers on Wednesday. New York still lost despite the best efforts of Kristaps Porzingis, who recorded his 11th double-double of the season with 23 points and 13 rebounds.
From an effective field goal percentage perspective, this will be a matchup of two heavyweights. Atlanta’s upper-echelon offense is ranked fourth in the league in that metric at 51.3%, while New York is fourth-best in the NBA at making opponents miss (46.9%).
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Hawks winning the first matchup 112-101. Teague had a stellar game with 23 points, four rebounds, eight assists, and one steal.
The Hawks have gone 19-12 Straight Up (SU) and 14-15-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 11-6 SU and 8-7-2 ATS against the Eastern Conference. The Hawks are one of the best in the NBA in terms of free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .797 from the free throw line. Atlanta is one of the most disciplined teams in the league with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.77. Atlanta is the league’s top scoring team off turnovers with an average of 20.0 points per game.
Over on the other bench, the Knicks have a record of 18-12 ATS and 14-16 SU. Despite having a losing record against the Eastern Conference, New York is successful ATS in those games with a record of 7-3. The Knicks convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking third in the league at .810. The New York defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing a league-low .302 shooting from three-point range to its opponents.
In their previous meeting this season, Atlanta beat New York, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings. They are also even ATS in their last 10 games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Atl
Notes
Atlanta is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta’s last 5 games.
Atlanta is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games at home.
Atlanta is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
Atlanta is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing New York.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta’s last 6 games when playing New York.
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Atlanta’s last 11 games when playing at home against New York.
Atlanta is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against New York.
Atlanta scores an average of 101.4 points per game (ranked 14th), while New York gives up 99.0 points per game (ranked seventh).
On average, Atlanta scores 102.2 points per home game (ranked 15th), while New York allows 100.2 points per away game (ranked ninth).
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Hawks are 11-4 on the season. When the Knicks score fewer than 100, they are a subpar 4-14.
When Atlanta allows 100 or more points in a game, the team is an even 8-8 this season. New York, on the other hand, has a formidable record (10-2) when it hits triple digits.
The Knicks have a defensive rating of 102.9 (ranked 16th). The Hawks rank eighth for their offensive rating of 103.9.
The Atlanta Hawks average 97.6 possessions and 1.039 points per possession in games this season. The New York Knicks average fewer possessions with 96.4, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.015.
The Atlanta Hawks have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking fourth in the league with an EFF% of 51.3%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the New York Knicks have an abysmal 1-5 record.
On average, the Atlanta Hawks make 25.0 assists per game and the New York Knicks make 20.1. Atlanta is ranked third, while New York is ranked 24th.
Atlanta makes an average of 5.4 blocks per game (ranked ninth). New York ranks higher in blocks with 5.6 (ranked eighth).
The Atlanta Hawks rank 30th in offensive rebounding, while the New York Knicks rank 14th in defensive rebounding.
The Hawks record 9.3 steals per game on average (ranked third). The Knicks are 4-3 when allowing at least 9 steals.
