Atlanta Hawks beat New York Knicks 109-108 at home on Thursday, April 23 in a game that stayed within 12 points at every quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Hawks had the better start, winning the first 33-21 to lead by 12 after one. The Knicks cut into the deficit with a 29-25 second quarter, though the Hawks still led by 8 at halftime.
The teams matched each other with 30 points apiece in the third quarter, so the Hawks remained ahead by 8 entering the fourth. The Knicks took the fourth 28-21; the Hawks held on for a 109-108 regulation win.
The edge that mattered
The Hawks got more from their shots, finishing at 52.9% effective field-goal shooting compared with 48.4% for the Knicks. The Hawks made 20.9 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 19.4 for the Knicks. In a 1-point game, that shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
At roughly 102 possessions per team, the Hawks produced 107.3 points per 100 possessions to 106.3 for the Knicks.
The Hawks' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 31-15.
Who made the difference
OG Anunoby was the game's biggest individual force for NYK: 29 pts, 9 reb, 1 ast, 3 blk on 9-16 shooting. His Game Score of 28.3 led everyone. His team was -4 with him on the floor.
Jalen Johnson led the Hawks with 24 pts, 10 reb, 8 ast on 8-19 shooting, good for a 20.8 Game Score.
Jalen Johnson (24 pts, 10 reb, 8 ast) and Karl-Anthony Towns (21 pts, 17 reb, 4 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 56% for the Hawks.
Across the last 10 meetings in our records, New York Knicks lead 6-4.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.