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Hawks return home for Game 3 against Knicks



[T]he Atlanta Hawks will host a playoff game Friday evening for the first time in over 4 years. Trae Young and company return home after garnering a split at Madison Square Garden, and the Hawks will host the New York Knicks in a potentially pivotal Game 3 matchup in front of what should be a raucous crowd at State Farm Arena.

The Hawks flailed in the second half in Game 2, scoring only 35 points and going without a single field goal in the final five minutes. While that was unfortunate in keeping Atlanta from taking a stranglehold on the series, the Hawks remain in a strong position, particularly if they can find their perimeter shooting form at home.

Atlanta has not lost a home game since April 15 and, since the All-Star break, the Hawks are a blistering 17-2 in their home building. While the Knicks will likely bring playoff-quality intensity, the Hawks remain the more talented team from top to bottom, and they have done a solid job on the defensive end of the floor throughout the series.

Hawks expecting to shoot better at home in Game 3 vs. Knicks



Like a good neighbor, the friendly rims at State Farm Arena will be there for the Hawks.

Coming off a dreadful shooting second half in a loss to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden in Game 2 of their playoff series, the Hawks are hoping that a return home Friday — combined with a more aggressive offensive philosophy — will solve what otherwise could become a series-defining issue.

The clearest path to a reversal is to make more shots.

The Hawks shoot 47.5 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from 3-point range at home, compared to 46 percent and 36.2 percent on the road. As their 13-point second-half lead evaporated in Game 2 on Wednesday, the Hawks shot 27.5 percent from the floor and 15.8 percent (3-for-19) from 3-point range.

“Some of those 3s in the second half, I thought we settled,” Atlanta coach Nate McMillan said. “But we got good looks in the first half and we shot a higher percentage. The second half, when we got some good looks, we didn’t knock down those shots. I expect those guys to knock down the shots.”

The Hawks won their final 10 regular-season home games to clinch their first playoff berth since 2017, and their arena will be at full capacity (21,000) for the first time since COVID-19 limitations went into place.

What kind of difference can that make? Consider how Knicks fans got louder with every defensive stop created by the Hawks’ misfiring at the Garden.

jayu70 wrote::nod:

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Jamaaliver wrote:ESPN cut out on me in the 2Q.

What was the lineup that took control of the game?

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jayu70 wrote::nod:

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