We’ve got a NBA Cup elimination game in the Mecca of basketball. A man that embraces the label of villain will walk in to Madison Square Garden and face a Knicks squad that is vibing. Can Ice Trae cause chaos in New York again? Or will the vibes continue to be high in the concrete jungle?

Game Information

• Madison Square Garden in New York City
• Atlanta Hawks (13-12) visits New York Knicks (15-9)
• Previous Matchup: Atlanta at New York (121-116) November 6th, 2024

All NBA Emirates Cup odds are courtesy of BetOnline 

Atlanta Hawks @ New York Knicks

The Knicks enter this quarterfinal match up having gone 4–1 in the month of December. Concerns that plagued early in the season have seemingly been salved. Brunson and KAT look like a superstar duo with a supporting cast that vaults them into championship contention. Winning the NBA Cup would serve to embolden their confidence which already at a all time high.

The Atlanta Hawks look like a different team depending on the night. One night Trae Young looks like the second coming of Steve Nash. Then another night Jalen Johnson looks like Grant Hill. Then they get blown out by 30 at home against the Nuggets.

Trae Young has some history at MSG 👀

He and the @ATLHawks will head there Wednesday for a Quarterfinals SHOWDOWN 🏆

📺 7pm/et | ESPN | #EmiratesNBACup pic.twitter.com/mhdkZWL7VU

— NBA (@NBA) December 9, 2024

NBA Game Analysis

This will be a clash of contrasting styles. Whichever team is able to assert their play style will win. The Hawks only path to victory is to force the Knicks to speed up to play at their pace.

The Hawks prefer to play fast, force turnovers, and share the rock. They are third in pace, second in steals, and flirt with leading the league in assists per game.

The Knickerbockers want to play slow, run their sets and play with enviable efficiency. They have the number one rated offence in the association. This is a team that can drive and shoot so effectively they have no desire to run and gun at the level of today’s NBA.

I want to tell you the Hawks cover that +7 but that is a tough task against the Knicks. Perhaps most importantly, this game is being played with an insane home advantage. The one lock here is that the MSG faithful will be roaring. A young Hawks squad might have trouble in this environment. The Knicks could very easily blow them out of the water. Except, keep in mind this is an Atlanta team that beat Boston without their leader. They also beat Cleveland and Trae had 20+ assists.

KAT should have an opportunity to dominate here. He was a boy and now he is a man. Whichever defenders Atlanta sends they will have disadvantages galore against Big Bodega. There’s clear evidence of this as this man went to town on the them Nov. 6th of this year. Also, Trae Young historically plays very well against the Knicks. However, he hasn’t shot the basketball well against them the last four times out. If the Hawks are staying in this then expect Trae to go over some of his lines.

Karl-Anthony Towns:

“New York. New Fu*king York.” 🗣️🗣️

pic.twitter.com/Z0VMmAbLfh

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 10, 2024

Dyson Daniels o3.5 Assists (+130)

The Australian kid was abysmal last time he played the Knicks. He shot 3-16 in that game with only 2 assists. That’s because the Knicks have insanely talented wing defenders who are different from one another. It’s tough to face the contrasting styles of defending. Tonight will be no different but Dyson will need to be. Daniels will need to pass the ball. Luckily, he’s averaging 4.1 assists per game in his last 8 road matchups.

Bonus Bozo Pack for Peepin’ the Scribbles: Jalen Brunson o2.5 / Clint Capela o0.5 TO’s (+190)

Clint Capel has hit over this line in 8 of 10 games played verses NBA teams in the bottom third of forced turnovers. Knicks are 26th in forced TO’s. Weird stat, I know, thanks to our friends at Outlier. Also, the Swiss big man had a turnover last time against the Knicks but hasn’t had one in two games. Some would say he’s due. Jalen Brunson has hit this over in 4 of the last 5. The intensity will be high and Brunson should see a healthy dose of the menace from down under. Three turnovers is not a lot of a lead guard in the NBA. Especially when ATL is 2nd in steals per game.

Thanks for reading!

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