Hawks Set to Face Knicks After Loss
The Hawks certainly didn’t seem to shy away from facing the Knicks.
On Sunday, they experienced a hefty 143-117 defeat against the Heat in Miami. This game saw most of their starters sitting out, even though a victory would have locked in the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference and a first-round playoff clash against the Cavaliers. As a result of this loss—combined with the Raptors winning and the Magic losing—the Hawks slid to the No. 6 seed and are now set to meet the Knicks in the playoffs.
Clearly, the Hawks aren’t overly intimidated by the Knicks, even if they’re conscious that competing without their key players will be challenging.
Hawks coach Quin Snyder emphasized the significance of health over competitive standing.
“We’re happy to be in this situation right now,” Snyder remarked before the game. “Regardless of who we play, they’re going to be strong opponents. It’s tough to predict much, and some teams might actually want to face us. The priority is being healthy as we head into the postseason. That’s been our focus for quite some time now. Anything can happen; these outcomes are unpredictable. We prepare for the playoffs, no matter who the opponent is.”
The Knicks, on their end, seemed unfazed by this.
Jordan Clarkson said, “We paid no attention to it at all. That’s exactly what they wanted to do.”
Meanwhile, Miles McBride shared, “Honestly, we need to focus on our game. It could have been anyone, but we’re concentrating on what we need to accomplish as a team.”
Although the game didn’t hold much weight for the Knicks overall, it certainly had personal significance for McBride.
This was his last chance to get back into form prior to the playoffs. After undergoing surgery for a sports hernia, he missed 28 games and struggled to find his shot. Before Sunday’s game, he had made only 6 of 21 attempts from beyond the arc in the previous five games.
However, McBride shone on Sunday, sinking 4 of 7 from three-point range for 21 points in just 24 minutes. With limited key players in the rotation, he capitalized on the opportunity to build some rhythm.
Coach Mike Brown commented, “He looked good. It was great to see him play freely, take the shots he wanted, and play aggressively… It’s nice when the ball goes in a few times.”
In other news, OG Anunoby’s ankle injury appears to be minor. Brown noted that Anunoby is day-to-day. Given that the Knicks had already secured the No. 3 seed and had no real stakes in Sunday’s game, they chose to rest four out of five starters, including Anunoby (although Mikal Bridges started then came off the bench to preserve their winning streak).
It seems unlikely that Anunoby will miss any playoff time due to this injury, which he sustained during Friday’s victory over the Raptors at Madison Square Garden.
