Knicks, Hawks look for breakout game

The New York Knicks visit the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday in a matchup of two teams looking to break out of a crowded pack in the Eastern Conference.

New York (16-14) sits in fifth place in the East, seven games behind Cleveland, Atlanta (15-16) resides 1 ½ games behind the Knicks in sixth, and entering Tuesday only four games separated the third playoff spot in the conference from the four teams immediately outside the postseason picture.

The Knicks fell to 3-10 in games against teams with winning records with a disappointing 119-114 home loss Sunday to Boston, committing 17 turnovers to spoil strong offensive outputs from Carmelo Anthony (29 points) and Derrick Rose (25).

“That’s the jump we have to make,” New York guard Courtney Lee told reporters after the loss.

Anthony leads New York in scoring at 22.7 points per game, but shot just 9-of-24 from the field Sunday. Lee ranks second in the NBA in 3-point shooting (46.7 percent) but did not practice Tuesday after getting hit on his sore right wrist Sunday. Second-year forward Kristaps Porzingis averages 20 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game, and has scored 20 points or more in three of his past four games.

The Hawks have been disappointing since a 9-2 start to the season, falling 104-90 Monday at Minnesota in continuing a disturbing trend of playing poorly against teams with losing records (two losses each to the Timberwolves and Lakers, one loss each against Phoenix and Orlando).

“It’s still early, but we need to figure it out now,” Atlanta point guard Dennis Schroder told reporters afterward.

There was good news for Atlanta in Monday’s loss, as center Dwight Howard returned from a back injury to score 20 points on 9-of-9 shooting to go with 12 rebounds. Howard ranks among the league leaders in rebounds (13 per game) and field-goal percentage (64.6 percent), while Schroder leads the team in scoring at 17.3 points per game. Forward Paul Millsap was poked in the eye during Monday’s loss, finishing 2-of-13 from the field, and Atlanta committed 19 turnovers.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Anthony moved past Elgin Baylor into 28th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list Sunday (23,156).

2. Atlanta G Kyle Korver (illness) returned Monday after a one-game absence, scoring six points on 2-of-7 shooting, but G Tim Hardaway Jr. (groin) was a late scratch.

3. The Knicks rode 31 points from Anthony and a double-double (19 points, 11 rebounds) from Porzingis to a 104-94 victory over the Hawks on Nov. 20 in New York, and have won three in a row over Atlanta dating back to last season.

PREDICTION: Knicks 106, Hawks 94

newtoncitizen.com