When the Atlanta Hawks (26-34) came into Madison Square Garden tonight for a game against the New York Knicks (36-25), this looked like an easy peach to pick. Both teams would play without their starting point guards (ATL: Trae Young; NYK: Jalen Brunson), but Atlanta plays lousy defense and is a very inconsistent club. If the Knicks could turn this into a grind-it-out affair, victory on their terms was very possible.
But New York struggled from the start, bricking a bunch and lacking enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Jalen Johnson and the Hawks quickly took command of the game.