New York Knicks vs Atlanta Hawks Prediction & Match Preview - November 27th, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22

The New York Knicks will meet the Atlanta Hawks for the first time since the latter dismissed them in last season's testy playoff matchup. [Photo: CBS Sports]

The New York Knicks will get on the road to State Farm Arena for a date with the streaking Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. New York was thoroughly smoked by the Phoenix Suns, the hottest team in the league, and will face another sizzling hot team in Atlanta.

Tom Thibodeau’s team has been on a roller-coaster ride throughout the season. It continued in their successive games against the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns. They held off the Lakers at bay for a big win but just couldn’t give the same performance against the Suns.

The New York Knicks, though, have a better record on the road than at home. They’ll badly need that road-winning team against the hottest team in the East right now.

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks have surged to a season-best seven-game winning streak. The Hawks slumped to a six-game losing run before turning things around. They have literally been scorching hot in the past seven games with a 125.5 offensive rating, which tops the league in that span.

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Leading the Atlanta Hawks, obviously, is Trae Young. He has been absolutely spectacular, averaging 27.7 points, 9 assists and 4 rebounds in Atlanta’s winning run. His shooting splits of 52.3%/44.2%/89.2% in the Hawks’ run is one of the most impressive shooting displays from anyone this season. He’ll be at the forefront of the attack against the struggling New York Knicks.

Match Details

Fixture: New York Knicks vs Atlanta Hawks | 2021-22 NBA season

Date & Time: Saturday, November 27th; 7:30 PM ET (Sunday, November 28th; 6:00 AM IST)

Venue: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

New York Knicks Preview

The New York Knicks have been very inconsistent this season. [Twitter]

The New York Knicks have alternated wins and losses in their last seven games. They won against the Pacers, Rockets and Lakers, but lost to the Hornets, Magic, Bulls and Suns. New York continues to be a riddle this year with confusing highs and lows.

New York started like a house on fire on offense at the start of the season. They were somewhere in the top five in offensive rating in their first six games. The New York Knicks have slowly sunk lower in that rating to 16th and are showing no signs of improving.

For some reason, the New York Knicks have been allergic to playing defense at home, where they have a 110.8 defensive rating. That improves to 108.7 on the road, which is why they have a better slate away from Madison Square Garden. New York needs to do better on defense to keep up with the Atlanta Hawks’ blistering offense.

Key Player - Julius Randle

Julius Randle leads the New York Knicks in many of the most statistical categories. He tops the team in scoring, rebounding, and assists, among others. It’s very obvious that when he struggles, he takes away a very crucial component of the team’s offense.

The All-Star forward of the New York Knicks is averaging 17.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in his last ten games. These numbers are below his season norms of 20.4 PPG, 10.3 RPG and 5.1 APG. What’s worrying is the drop in his shooting efficiency across the floor.

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The New York Knicks will need a more consistent performance from Julius Randle to string together wins.

New York Knicks Predicted Lineup

G - Kemba Walker | G - Evan Fournier | F - RJ Barrett | F - Julius Randle | C - Mitchell Robinson

Atlanta Hawks Preview

Trae Young irritated the New York Knicks in last season's playoffs. [Photo: Sports Illustrated]

Only the Phoenix Suns have been hotter than the Atlanta Hawks in the past week and a half in the NBA. Their seven-game winning streak is the best this season following a horrific six-game losing slump. From seemingly out of nowhere, the Hawks’ offense is suddenly as deadly as the best in the league right now.

The Atlanta Hawks’ 125.5 offensive rating is even better than the Golden State Warriors' standing in their winning run. What is even more impressive is the fact that the Hawks are putting together this run without De’Andre Hunter who injured his wrist against the Milwaukee Bucks. The win over the defending champions was when they started rattling off wins.

Nate McMillan’s team has been very stingy with turnovers, which has helped get their offense in rhythm. The Atlanta Hawks have also been very good in distributing the ball to make the offense more unpredictable. They’re playing like a well-oiled machine right now.

Key Player - Trae Young

Trae Young leads the Atlanta Hawks in scoring (25.3 PPG) and assists (9.1 APG) this season. After a very poor start, he has now regained his deadly shooting touch. His 37.5% shooting from three-point range is a career-high and part of the reason for the Hawks' resurgence.

The one-time All-Star isn’t just about the numbers, though. The New York Knicks are all too familiar with Young’s ability to bring his A-game when the stakes are highest. How the 23-year old torched New York in the playoffs last season should still be fresh in the minds of basketball fans.

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The Atlanta Hawks will meet the Knicks for the first time since that thorough beating last year. Young should be raring to torment New York yet again.

Atlanta Hawks Predicted Lineup

G - Trae Young | G - Bogdan Bogdanovic | F - Kevin Huerter | F - John Collins | C - Clint Capela

Knicks vs Hawks Match Prediction

The New York Knicks have been just too inconsistent this season and will be facing the red-hot Atlanta Hawks on the latter’s home court. New York should have this date circled in their calendars after what Trae Young did to them in the playoffs. Getting that revenge, however, will be a tall task with the way both teams have been playing of late.

The Knicks’ defense, unlike last season, is porous. If they can’t clean up their miscues and lack of communication on defense, the Atlanta Hawks' offensive execution and shooting could overwhelm them.

Where to watch the Knicks vs Hawks game

The NBA League Pass will stream the game live. Local coverage of the matchup will be available via Bally Sports Atlanta and MSG Network.