Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 12/7/2022

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Where to watch: ESPN

DraftKings: Knicks -2; Knicks -130, Hawks +110; O/U 232

FanDuel: Knicks -1.5; Knicks -120, Hawks +102; O/U 231

BetMGM: Knicks -1.5; Knicks -125, Hawks +105; O/U 232.5

Caesars: Knicks -2; Knicks -130, Hawks +110; O/U 232

Hawks: 13-11

Knicks: 11-13

Hawks: lost 121-114 vs. Thunder on Sunday

Knicks: won 92-81 vs. Cavaliers on Sunday

The Atlanta Hawks got Trae Young back after his voluntary one-game hiatus because Nate McMillan said something to him, and of course the Hawks lost. But that’s no qualm on the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are a really good team and it should be known how good they are. But the Hawks lost 121-114 at home to OKC despite a combined 47 points from Young and Dejounte Murray. There was just another guard on the floor that night in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, which of course comes as no surprise. What is a surprise is how the Hawks have just let games go by the wayside here and sit at just 13-11 through 24 games entering Wednesday.

“I thought they were able to break down our defense early in the game and forced the defense to collapse and they had their kick-outs," Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. “They established the tempo that they wanted to play and with that and our help in the turnovers and outworking us on the glass, it’s going to be tough to beat them."

The Hawks are missing big man John Collins, who is out for a couple more weeks with a left ankle sprain. Until he gets healthy, we’re not going to know the full extent of how good the Hawks are. There’s plenty of basketball left to be played to fully figure out until that’s the case, but they’ve got to shore up defensively. Yes, OKC is on the rise, but giving up 121 points to anyone.

The New York Knicks are also in the midst of trying to find their identity, but at least they can secure good home wins against the Cleveland Cavaliers like they did on Sunday, 92-81. New York is sitting at 11-13 on the year coming into this game but that win against the Cavs was a good start. Jalen Brunson had 23 points despite shooting 7 of 16 from the floor. Juliius Randle chipped in with 18, as the Knicks defense held the Cavs’ offense to 35 percent shooting and just 8 of 35 from 3-point range.

“We needed it. We had to start it off somehow,” Brunson said. “I’m just happy we came away with a win the way we did. It was a grind offensively. But the fact that our defense was able to keep us in it is a good sign.”

The Knicks are 3-6 in their last nine games, but it’s been nearly an even atonement on the scoreboard; they’re scoring 112 per game while giving up 114. The problem with the Knicks, and it doesn’t come as a surprise given how bad they were at it last year, is 3-point shooting. They’ve been hitting only 30 percent of their threes and they are somehow scoring at a good clip. Make your shots, kids.

If the Knicks were making their long-range shots, I’d have more faith in them. But the guard battles here aren’t helping and giving them any favors. With the MSG lights on bright, this is usually when Ice Trae comes to the fold. Hawks by 10

Knicks are 19-32 ATS at home the last 2 seasons.

Knicks are 5-17 ATS at home after a win the last 2 seasons.

Hawks are 8-18 ATS as a road underdog of 6 points or less the last 2 seasons.

PG: Trae Young

SG: Dejounte Murray

SF: AJ Griffin

PF: Jalen Johnson

C: Clint Capela

PG: Jalen Brunson

SG: Quentin Grimes

SF: RJ Barrett

PF: Julius Randle

C: Mitchell Robinson

Hawks: John Collins (ankle, out), De’Andre Hunter (hip, out)

Knicks: None

Points: Trae Young – 27.6

Rebounds: Clint Capela – 12.2

Assists: Trae Young – 9.6

Points: Julius Randle – 21.1

Rebounds: Julius Randle – 8.5

Assists: Jalen Brunson – 6.2