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Mixed martial arts New York Knicks vs Atlanta Hawks Best Bet: Young to Lead Win at MSG
NEW YORK KNICKS VS ATLANTA HAWKS BEST BET: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2ND
The 4-3 Atlanta Hawks are two-point underdogs for their game at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks on Wednesday night. Atlanta lost heavily to the Toronto Raptors last time out, while the Knicks have dropped consecutive games to the Bucks and Cavaliers.
Bogdan Bogdanovic is out for the Hawks, and talented young big man Onyeka Okongwu is questionable. Quentin Grimes is questionable through a foot issue for New York. Cam Reddish is day-to-day.
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New York Knicks vs Atlanta Hawks Preview
Wed, Nov 2. 23:40 (UK time)
The Hawks have covered the spread in just two of their seven games. New York is 3-3 ATS. Atlanta, typically, has looked great on offence, with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray seeming a good fit together in the backcourt. Their defence, however, ranks 23rd, and opponents are getting to the rim at will.
This game has a bit of added spice with Young returning to MSG. A pantomime villain in New York, a raucous atmosphere is inevitable. The All-Star guard loves these occasions, and will bounce back from a poor performance against the Toronto Raptors, where he turned the ball over on 10 occasions.
New York’s defence ranks 13th, but they have benefited from a lot of poor opponent shooting. It will take an impressive team effort to keep Young under control – he averages 29 and nine against the Knicks for his career.
Where the defence has ridden some fortune, the Knicks’ offence currently profiles to be worse than its 13th place. They are slightly above average in shots at the rim, but they seldom shoot threes and very rarely get to the line. The rebounding battle is massive for New York on Wednesday night – they are top five in offensive rebounding rate, and Atlanta is 27th at collecting opponent misses.
The easy points from offensive boards are a necessity for the Knicks to keep pace with Atlanta here. Young is an offensive engine, and with the talent around him, the Hawks have more weapons than the Knicks.
New York Knicks vs Atlanta Hawks Best Bet
There have been some positive signs with the way the Knicks have started the season. The signing of Jalen Brunson has had the desired early impact, though Brunson faces a difficult matchup in Murray. Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein are one of the Association’s best center pairings. RJ Barrett, though, has struggled, contributing to the Knicks shooting under 34% from three as a team.
The Knicks have an extra day of rest, but that is unlikely to be decisive with the age of this Hawks core and the lack of miles in the legs at this stage of the season. Homecourt is a factor, of course, but some of that is nullified by Young’s MSG record.
Atlanta is the more talented of these two teams. Both are looking to avoid making it three defeats in a row – the Hawks are great value at 2.05.
- Selection: Atlanta Hawks Moneyline
- Best Odds: 2.10 (Coral)
- Stakes: 4/10
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