I’m old enough to remember a time when a matchup between the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks was a box office material. I can recall the two Eastern Conference squads squaring off in a fun five-game series that included a Trae Young coming-out party, physical and verbal exchanges between the teams, and a rivalry that would presumably last a while.
That time was nine months ago.
Things are wildly different these days. The Hawks are 35-36 (yikes) but comfortably holding onto the final play-in playoff spot, while the struggling Knicks (30-41) appear headed the offseason early. And while both teams have had bad seasons, this game will be one worth watching — a little less so with the announcement of Knicks forward Julius Randle being ruled out with a quad injury.
Here’s how his absence could impact the game:
Julius Randle EURO to extend the NYK lead! #NBAPlayoffs @ATLHawks 91@nyknicks 100
1:13 left on TNT pic.twitter.com/l68XT3sGXH
— NBA (@NBA) May 27, 2021
- Despite having a dropoff in production or a “down” year, Randle still brings averages of 20.3 points and 17.4 field goal attempts per game to the table. That’s a lot of offense and usage out the window. Expect both RJ Barrett and Evan Fournier to fill the void. In fact, Fournier has a 16.5-point player prop at Tipico, which is a total you should expect him to surpass given the possible volume increase.
- Julius Randle’s 10.0 rebounds per game will also be off the table. There will be plenty of extra rebounds to go around for guys like Mitchell Robinson and Obi Toppin, who could see his minutes go way up against the Hawks on Tuesday.
- Randle also plays a good amount of isolation basketball, oftentimes slowing the offense down in the halfcourt. I’d expect the New York pace to increase a bit in his absence, which could lead to more points — something that shouldn’t be hard to come by against this bottom portion of the league Atlanta defense.
TRAE YOUNG TAKES A BOW IN MSG AFTER ELIMINATING KNICKS. 🍿👀 pic.twitter.com/L6i5A0S65H
— House of Highlights (@HoHighlights) June 3, 2021
No matter who is and isn’t available for the Knicks, they’ve proven to be untrustworthy all season long at MSG (15-20). Likewise, the Hawks are bad on the road (12-22).
So, how can we predict an outcome, here? My guess is as good as yours. But what I do know is that Trae Young will have a big game. He averaged 29.2 points and 9.8 assists against the Knicks last postseason and is at 31.0 points and 6.0 assists per game in two games this season. Might be wise to take a look at his props.
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