NBA Christmas Preview: Hawks vs. Knicks

Nothing says Christmas quite like an ice storm in New York, right?

That is exactly what we have to look forward to as Trae Young (hopefully) and the Atlanta Hawks fly into Madison Square Gardens to face off against the New York Knicks.

This will mark the first time the Hawks make the journey to MSG this season. We all remember what happened last time Ice Trae was in New York.

That playoff series really turned into must watch TV last season with both of these young and exciting teams reaching beyond most expectations.

Coming into this Christmas matchup though, both of these teams are slightly underwhelming as they are 11th and 12th in the Eastern Conference. 

New York started the season 5-1 and seemed destined to be a top seed. Since then they have gone a paltry 9-16. 

It certainly has not helped their cause that Julius Randle has not given them the same kind of production they were getting from him last season. Granted, teams are definitely game planning a lot more to stop or slow him down this season.

The Hawks have found themselves also in a bit of a struggle this year as they seem to play in streaks.

Their 14-16 record has consisted of both a six game losing streak and a seven game winning streak, which oddly enough, happened back-to-back. They are now in a pattern of win one, lose two for their last nine games.

To make matters worse for Atlanta, they may be without Trae as he has entered Health and Safety Protocol. 

If Trae is unavailable for this game, the matchup should lean in favor of the Knicks. 

With no Trae, I expect the Knicks to win 112-103.

However, if Trae is available, give me the Hawks 115-108.

Tip-off for this game is 12:00 PM ET.

Malachi David is an aspiring writer and content creator from the frozen tundras of Wisconsin. You can find and follow him on all major social media platforms under SportReportMD.