New York Knicks vs Atlanta Hawks
Game 13: November 20, 2016
Knicks 104, Hawks 94

Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn
flagrant2blog.blogspot.com/ 

A tough stretch of games started this afternoon at MSG when the Atlanta Hawks came to town to face the Knicks. The Knicks were without Joakim Noah, who had a 72 million dollar cold and was unable to play. Kyle O’Quinn slid into his spot the starting lineup, and had a solid game with 8 points and 8 rebounds. Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 31 points, and Kristaps Porzingis had a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 19 points.

Takeaways from this game:

The Backup Center Spot

Coming into this season, the backup center position was a real question mark for this team.  Could Kyle O’Quinn and Willy Hernangomez be good enough as the two backup centers? I thought no, but so far this season I have been proven wrong. O’Quinn fit nicely with the starting unit and showed the value of having a center that could step out and consistently hit a 15 foot jumper. His hands were like magnets in the first quarter where he had 7 of his 8 rebounds and a block. Hernangomez continues to impress off the bench with his slick passes and offensive arsenal. Both of these guys need some work on the defensive side, but both have been pleasant surprises.

Melo Mania:

Carmelo had one of those games where he reminds everyone he is still an offensive force in this league. Melo had a game high 31 points, and was scoring from every spot on the court. When he and KP both score like they did today, it makes it really tough for the opposition to keep up. Old school Melo game in this matinee affair at Madison Square Garden.

Holding Home Court:

Clyde always says how the Knicks need to make Madison Square Garden a hostile environment for teams to come and play in. That’s exactly what the boys in blue and orange have done lately, as this was the fourth straight win at the Garden. This was a tough test against an excellent Atlanta Hawks team, a team which plays tough defense and has real talent in Paul Millsap, Kyle Korver, and Dwight Howard, to name a few. The Knicks have shown they enjoy playing in front of the Garden crowd, and it’s important for them to continue to win at home.

The wins on the road will come, but winning in front of a cheering home crowd helps the team’s confidence.

The Portland Trailblazers and their talented backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum take the 2 train from Brooklyn to Penn Station to take on the Knicks this Tuesday night at 7:30.

Another tough test for New York, they’re going to need to bring the tough defense they brought against the Hawks to stop those two dynamic scorers and make it five in a row at home. 6-7.