A first quarter flurry from Jalen Brunson and a fourth quarter burst from Karl-Anthony Towns bookended the Knicks’ 113-102 Saturday win over the Atlanta Hawks. The victory gave the Knicks an early 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven first round series.
The two teams will see each other again at Madison Square Garden on Monday night for Game Two. As the Knicks look to build a 2-0 series lead, let’s dive into keys for the game.
Advertisement
Adjustment to the adjustment
It took about three-and-a-half quarters for the Hawks to target New York’s weakness, which is the club’s offense when a wing defends Towns and a center checks Josh Hart.
With a win slipping from their grasp, Hawks head coach Quin Syder went to the tried and true strategy. He put Dyson Daniels on Towns, and had center Onyeka Okongwu guard Hart. After the Knicks took a 106-89 lead with four minutes and 36 seconds remaining, Atlanta went on a 9-0 run. Though the Hawks never got closer than eight points the rest of the way, Atlanta will likely go back to the strategy in the next game.
One look the Hawks leaned on towards the end of the game was Daniels on Towns and Nickeil Alexander-Walker assigned to Brunson. The Hawks can switch the pick-and-roll with Daniels and Alexander-Walker. It can potentially take New York’s offense out of flow and disrupt the potent Brunson and Towns pick-and-roll. New York’s two All-Stars combined for 53 points on Saturday.
Advertisement
The Knicks will need to be ready for the adjustment on Monday night for Game Two. Maybe they post Towns up more, or use Hart as a screener to a greater degree.
Towns still has a physical advantage regardless of any defender Atlanta throws at him. And he dominated the fourth quarter, scoring 11 of his 25 points in the final frame. How the Knicks respond to the defensive wrinkle will be a central storyline for Game Two.
Fastbreak delayed
The Hawks are known for their high octane attack, but it was the Knicks who picked up the pace in Game One. The Knicks won the fastbreak battle, outscoring Atlanta 22-13 in the category.
Advertisement
Part of slowing down Atlanta’s frenetic pace was lowering turnovers. The Hawks thrive on chaos and scoring off opponent miscues: 17.4 percent of the Hawks’ points came off turnovers according to NBA Stats, the fourth-highest figure in the NBA.
New York turned the ball over seven times during the first half. The Knicks had just four turnovers in the second half, but all of them were all of dead ball nature. Atlanta (12 turnovers) ended up with more errors than the Knicks (11).
If New York can win the possession battle both by limiting turnovers and hitting the offensive glass, they will have a massive advantage in this series.
Bench advantage
New York’s bench was good but not great in Game 1. Defense was where the quartet of Mitchell Robinson, Miles McBride, Landry Shamet and Jordan Clarkson had a positive effect on the game.
Advertisement
Offense was much harder to come by for New York’s reserves. Clarkson led the way with eight points. Shamet shot just 1-5 from three. Outside of a quick three-point burst in the fourth quarter, McBride was quiet with just six points in 21 minutes. Still, New York’s bench outscored Atlanta’s backups 20-13.
The Knicks should maintain the depth advantage the rest of the series. The only real Hawk reserve capable of a big night is Jonathan Kuminga. The Hawks forward had eight points and four rebounds in 27 minutes on Saturday. Mouhamed Gueye and Gabe Vincent combined for just five points. Former number one overall pick Zaccharie Risacher saw just two minutes in the first half.
As the series wears on, both teams are going to need a reserve to swing a game with a big performance. Based on the series opener, it’s more likely someone from the Knicks has a momentous night.
Read the full article here
