Both the New York Knicks and the Atlanta Hawks have one game under their belt in the 2015-16 season. The Knicks looked like contenders as they went on to beat the Milwaukee Bucks. The Atlanta Hawks looked like bottom feeders losing to the Detroit Pistons. Those performances were very different from where both teams were a year ago and now they face off as the Hawks aim to get their first win of the year and the Knicks look to keep momentum moving.
New York did everything right on Wednesday night. Derrick Williams led the way with 24 points while Kristaps Porzingis looked like a star rookie with 16 points earning his first start of the season. They paired well with Carmelo Anthony and Jose Calderon while Langston Galloway and Jerian Grant took care of scoring off the bench. The got a 122-97 rout of the Bucks in a road game. That was very different than what the Knicks did last year as they face a Hawks team who has added pressure after making it to the Eastern Conference finals a year ago.
Atlanta did not look the part of contenders on Tuesday night as they barely found any offensive rhythm. They fell 106-94 in a game that was nowhere near as close as the score indicates. After getting 60 wins last season, the pressure is on to deliver another big year and they simply did not start on a good note. For Hawks fans, the good news is that the team lost their season opener last year and still went on to have a great record. The bad news is in the loss to Detroit, Kyle Korver was 1-of-5 from the 3-point line while Kent Bazemore did everything wrong trying to fill the hole of DeMarre Carroll.
Atlanta will be without Mike Muscala. The second-year pro injured his ankle against Detroit. While the injury is not serious, he did not make the trip to Atlanta. Thabo Sefolosha did not make the trip either. Recovering from an ankle injury, Sefolosha is expected to miss at least one game of back-to-backs. The Knicks will still be without Arron Afflalo who is suffering from a hamstring injury. The matchup between the two teams also serves as Tim Hardaway Jr's return to New York after getting traded from the team in the offseason.
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