Overview
- New York has won 12 of its past 15 and three straight, capped by a 17-point fourth-quarter comeback over Cleveland on Christmas Day.
- Atlanta has lost five in a row and nine of 11 to slip two games under .500 after Friday’s 126-111 home defeat to Miami on the first night of a back-to-back.
- Trae Young recently returned from a right MCL sprain after 22 missed games and is on a minutes restriction, averaging about 24 points over his first four games back.
- Posting and Toasting noted Atlanta’s defense rates significantly worse with Young on the floor than when he sits, underscoring a key concern for the Hawks.
- Kristaps Porziņģis remains out due to illness and fellow centers N’Faly Dante and Eli John Ndiaye are sidelined, while Jalen Johnson’s 12-game double-double streak and Karl-Anthony Towns’ strong history versus Atlanta shape the matchup.