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NBA League Pass Game Of The Day: Hawks at Knicks (7 ET)

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NBA League Pass Game Of The Day: Hawks at Knicks (7 ET)

Trae Young, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns will battle it out at MSG in the knockout round of the East Quarterfinals.

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The Quarterfinals of the NBA Cup began on Tuesday, with the Bucks and Thunder clinching berths in the Semifinals in Las Vegas this weekend. On Wednesday, two more teams will do the same. While there’s certainly intrigue in the late game on TNT — (Rockets vs. Warriors, 9:30 p.m. ET) — we’re focusing on the earlier matchup: the New York Knicks hosting the Atlanta Hawks (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). Here are five things to know before this NBA Cup matchup.

  • Trae Young at Madison Square Garden: Like Reggie Miller before him, Young has a symbiotic relationship with the Madison Square Garden crowd. Knicks fans love to taunt him, and he thrives on the attention. While Young already has a flair for showmanship, he’d relish the opportunity to eliminate the Knicks from the NBA Cup in New York. His scoring is down this season, but his assists are up. This could be one of those nights where he guns for 40 or 50 points.
  • The spry Hawks: Atlanta entered the quarterfinals as an underdog with a 13-12 record. A win on the road against the Knicks would be an upset, so who might step up alongside Young? Jalen Johnson is averaging 19.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, while De’Andre Hunter has posted 19.3 points per game, suggesting he’s taking a step forward. Don’t overlook Dyson Daniels, who’s been stellar on defense with 3.2 steals per game.
  • New York is playing well right now: The Knicks’ revamped lineup, featuring Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, is beginning to pay dividends. After a slow start, the team is 7-3 in its last 10 games, improving to 15-9 overall. They also boast a +6.8 point differential, trailing only the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference.
  • The Knicks’ new star duo: Towns has joined forces with Jalen Brunson to pace the new-look Knicks. Both players are averaging roughly 25 ppg, and having two 25-point scorers is rare in the NBA. Brunson is also averaging 7.8 apg while Towns is posting 13.3 rpg this season.
  • Bridges finds his role: Bridges’ transition to the Knicks may have come with adjustments, but he’s starting to shine in his new role and make a significant impact. Over his last five games, Bridges has averaged an impressive 22.4 points, showing he’s adapting and thriving. As he becomes more comfortable alongside his new teammates, Bridges looks poised to play a key role in the Knicks’ success moving forward.
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