Knicks, Hawks meet in potential playoff preview
In a potential Eastern Conference first-round playoff preview, the visiting New York Knicks look to slow down the streaking Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.
New York (50-28) owns a 1 1/2-game lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers for the No. 3 spot in the East entering Sunday's play. Atlanta (45-33) currently nurses a 1 1/2-game lead over Toronto for fifth.
The Knicks have won consecutive games over the ailing Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls, but they're finishing the regular season with four straight against postseason-bound opponents.
Last time out, New York led by as many as 47 points during Friday's 136-96 win over Chicago. While first-year head coach Mike Brown understands the road gets harder from here on out, the team is building good habits at the right time.
"We're not going to jump on people 38-16 every game, but hopefully we continue with the same mindset to start games," Brown said. "With the same sense of urgency, sense of physicality, making our opponents feel us, while trying to get out in transition and share the basketball the way we did."
The Knicks are also hoping to submit a clean injury report ahead of Monday night. The team has enjoyed the return of Miles McBride (12.1 points per game), who underwent hernia surgery in early February.
While McBride works back into the rotation, Karl-Anthony Towns' status is up in the air. Towns didn't play against Chicago with an elbow injury and is listed as questionable against Atlanta.
Towns averages 20.1 points and a team-high 11.9 rebounds per contest. Jalen Brunson leads the Knicks with 26 points and 6.7 assists per game.
Atlanta, meanwhile, continues to play as well as any team in the East. The Hawks have won 13 straight home games -- the franchise's longest streak since winning 14 in a row in the 2009-10 season.
Head coach Quin Snyder's team has gone 18-2 since Feb. 22, with 16 of those wins coming by double digits.
Arguably the most impressive facet of the team's turnaround is how little time Atlanta's core has had together. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who was signed in the offseason, averages a career-high 20.6 points and has become a candidate for the league's Most Improved Player award.
CJ McCollum (18.6 ppg in 38 games for Atlanta) came over in a January trade that sent Trae Young to the Washington Wizards. The team also picked up Jonathan Kuminga (11.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg in 13 games for the Hawks) at the trade deadline from the Golden State Warriors.
In total, the Hawks' current roster has nine players that weren't on the 2024-25 squad.
"The fact that our group has connected the way they have in a short period of time really speaks to those guys in the locker room," Snyder said. "There's a foundation that we've tried to lay. They've embraced one another as much as anything."
The emergence of fifth-year Atlanta forward Jalen Johnson hasn't hurt, either. Johnson paces the Hawks with 22.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and eight assists per game.
Johnson has compiled five double-doubles in his last six outings and 13 triple-doubles this season.