Hawks at Knicks
The New York Knicks had a chance against the Chicago Bulls on Friday before falling well off the pace in the fourth quarter. The Knicks will try to put 48 minutes together on Sunday when they host the Atlanta Hawks, who have won seven of their last eight games, in the opener of a home-and-home set.
New York trailed 77-73 heading into the fourth quarter on Friday before going 2-of-19 from the field while being outscored 31-8 in the final stanza. The loss was the fifth in six games for the Knicks, who are averaging 90.6 points in those five setbacks. The Hawks dropped the opener of their three-game road trip 93-87 at Indiana on Monday but got the offense back in gear the next night and outlasted Houston 121-115. Atlanta is averaging 112.9 points in its last seven wins, including a 117-98 home thrashing of New York on Dec. 26.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Atlanta), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (21-13): Atlanta sharpshooter Kyle Korver, who finished second in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage (49.2) last season, is mired in a horrible shooting slump and went 0-of-11 from the field on Tuesday -- including 0-of-10 from 3-point range. Korver is 0-of-18 from beyond the arc in the last two games and is 2-of-27 from the field over his last three. The Hawks made up for Korver’s slump on Tuesday with center Al Horford going 5-of-7 from 3-point range as part of a 30-point, 14-rebound performance.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (15-19): New York was outscored 57-35 in the second half of the Dec. 26 loss at Atlanta and had those second-half issues crop up again at Chicago. The Knicks gave the starters a rest at the beginning of the fourth quarter against the Bulls and could not keep pace with a lineup that featured Kevin Seraphin at center and Derrick Williams alongside in the frontcourt. Each of New York’s last four losses have come on the road, and the team put up 58 second-half points in a 108-96 home win over Detroit on Tuesday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hawks F Paul Millsap is averaging 22.7 points in the last three games.
2. New York PG Jose Calderon is 9-of-11 from 3-point range over the last five games.
3. Atlanta has taken the first two meetings this season by an average of 15 points.