The Atlanta Hawks were back at home for Game 6 to face the New York Knicks in a win-or-go-home situation. The last two games have not been the best for the Hawks, and they found themselves in a position where they have to play some of their best basketball if they want to stay alive.
The Hawks got on the board with this nice pass for Jalen Johnson that led to a dunk.
The Hawks turned defense into offense on this play, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker knocked
down a 3-pointer.
It was a good start for the Hawks, but the Knicks started to find a rhythm on offense. Several turnovers also hurt the Hawks, and the Knicks got in transition and scored.
The Hawks tried to stop the bleeding, and Johnson found Mouhamed Gueye for this lob.
Things didn’t get any better for the Hawks in the first, as the turnovers continued to pile up. The Knicks took advantage and they put their foot on the gas to give themselves a 25-point lead going into the second.
It got worse for the Hawks in the second, and couldn’t generate much offense at all. On the other hand, it felt like the Knicks were getting whatever they wanted.
The emotions started to come out for the Hawks, and Dyson Daniels found himself tangled up with Mitchell Robinson midway through the quarter, which took a while for both sides to cool down. Daniels and Robinson both received technicals and were ejected from the game.
It was another 40-point quarter for the Knicks, and the Hawks trailed 83-36 going into halftime.
The third quarter was probably the Hawks’ best of the night, but it didn’t matter because the score was already out of control. Johnson led the way with eight points, but the bench played most of the quarter. The Hawks trailed 117-64 going into the fourth.
The starters came out to begin the fourth, but after a while, the end of the bench played out the remainder of the game.
Though it was a rough way to end the season, the Hawks still have to be proud of the year they had, despite the many changes on tbhe team.
The next stop for the Hawks will be the lottery, where they have a chance to get a top pick in the draft.
