On Tuesday, Dec. 17, the New York Knicks will finally return home after a long trip out west. They will face the Atlanta Hawks, a fellow Eastern Conference team that sits near the bottom of the NBA standings. That doesn’t mean nothing is on the line, but it’s more of a way-too-early battle for lottery positioning.
The Knicks played a competitive slate of games on their road trip, featuring their first winning streak of the season. Victories over the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors pushed them in the right direction, and they even overcame a deficit against the Denver Nuggets in the difficult altitude of the Rocky Mountains.